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Pumps Working 'Around The Clock' To Prevent Flooding

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Over six inches of rain fell in parts of Broward County last Sunday, leading to widespread flooding and now the forecast calls for almost exactly the same for the Memorial Day weekend.

"We have a chance for severe flooding, everyone needs to be prepared," Florida Governor Rick Scott said while addressing local officials in Panama City Beach Friday morning, regarding Subtropical Storm Alberto.

"Here we go again!" said Carl Olsen, the lead pump operator at a South Florida Water Management District pump station in Broward County. "We have been pumping around the clock for two weeks straight, in presence of the rain we had last week," he said.

Now, with the new storm bringing deep tropical moisture into the area, it looks like the pumps will need to stay on.

"All the side canals have to dump into the main canal," Olsen said, as he monitors the final pump. "The idea is to get our water down quicker so that they can get their water down."

The fear is that with the saturated ground, there will be quicker runoff with the rainfall in the forecast.

By lowering the water in the main canals this runoff has a chance to accumulate as opposed to remaining in the streets and causing smaller lakes.

Even with the precautions, there still may be flooding during the heaviest rain, but the hope is that by taking these precautions the flooded roads will drain quicker.

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