MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami Beach residents and businesses are grappling with the aftermath of heavy rain as cleanup crews address the impact of severe weather.
On Meridian Avenue, off 12th Street, a fallen tree inflicted significant damage on a Nissan Xterra, with branches piercing through the windshield. Crews worked diligently Thursday morning to clear the massive branches obstructing the road.
“Somebody parked the car over there, but the big branches over there, they’ve fallen, so they destroyed the car, but we’re cutting, and we’re taking all the garbage,” said Luis Rodriguez, who was involved in the cleanup efforts.
A 7News viewer captured additional footage, providing a different perspective on the wreckage caused by the fallen tree.
Rodriguez mentioned that the removed branches were from a homeowner’s tree and are now being disposed of properly.
Those with jobs to do and places to be did not let the storm’s aftermath get in their way.
Area residents who spoke with 7News on Thursday afternoon said they’ve seen worse.
“I’ve lived here for what, seven, eight years now, so this is like Tuesday,” said Dwanh Pham.
“Yesterday was a little bit trying — it rained all day long — but no, I mean, the streets are clear now, and I took my children to school in the morning,” said Matthew Gultanoff with Better Streets Miami Beach. “I could see [crews] cleaning, and now, if you’d just woken up and slept all day yesterday, you barely would have known there was a storm here.”
At Brittany Bay Park, a tree was snapped in half. Down the street, boats were sitting on water that is way too high.
Some of the vessels were dirty, while others sustained damage.
“This one, not too much, but all the boats, like, you can see, the water was super high and almost all the boats have damage,” said a boater.
The greens at Miami Beach Golf Club were left a mess. Water was seen covering the course; crews were seen drying it out with a pump.
Española Way, meanwhile, faced inconveniences as smaller tree branches littered the streets, affecting local businesses. They needed to be taken piece by piece.
Chairs outside restaurants were seen knocked over.
Over at Miami Beach City Hall, the big Christmas tree was toppled and on its side, with some branches out of place. By late Thursday afternoon, the tree was uprighted and back in its designated spot.
“Overall, considering what we had last night, we fared pretty well here,” said Gultanoff.
No injuries have been reported in Miami Beach related to the storm, as the cleanup continues.
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