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S. Florida Coastal Communities Still Feeling Sandy's Effects

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) – The famed beaches of Fort Lauderdale are still trying to dry out following flooding along A1A caused by Hurricane Sandy, high winds and seasonal high tides.

During high tide Monday, the water swept over a sandy embankment on the side of the road, flooding the street once again, however, it wasn't quite as bad as it was over the weekend.

Despite the slight improvement, A1A remains closed from North of Sunrise Blvd. to Bayshore Drive.

In a residential area between Sunrise Blvd. and NE 21st Street, a portion of the sea wall was washed away by the powerful waves and water quickly flooded all four lanes of A1A.

"My family has been here 35 plus years and we've never seen something like this before," said business owner Meena Lalwani.

At the corner of NE 9th Street & Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, store owners used sandbags to protect their businesses from the water.

"And I mean flooded, the water came in and went all the way to the back," said Lalwani.

Hurricane Sandy didn't stop all businesses from operating including 24-hour Primanti Brothers Pizza and Grill.

"At times we had to serve food out the window," said Jerry Dobbyn of Primanti Bros. Pizza and Grill.

For visitors Michael and Bonnie Coiro, they're stuck in Fort Lauderdale as Hurricane Sandy approaches their home in New Jersey.

"I'd rather be here in sunny Florida," said Bonnie.

Fort Lauderdale city officials believe the worst of the high tide situation may be over. They don't expect future high tides to be quite as severe.

As for A1A, it likely won't reopen until at least Wednesday. The Florida Department of Transportation will assess the road to determine whether or not it has suffered any major damage before it is reopened.

Down the road at Haulover Marina, boat slips were submerged under the water.

Surfer Armando Anton was one of a handful of people taking advantage of Sandy's ripple effect on the waters off Haulover Beach.

""I'm trying to catch the remains of the swirl from Sandy and hopefully there are still some good sized waves out there," said Anton.

Miami Beach resident Joe Simpson said the streets in his neighborhood look more like rivers.

"I live right on the water so it kind of takes away your confidence of living next to the water," said Simpson.

The conditions which are causing the coastal flooding are expected to be present through the middle of the week.

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