Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reopened Friday, nearly two days after severe storms brought historic flooding that grounded flights and stranded travelers.
The airport opened around 9 a.m. Friday, airport officials said. Long lines of travelers were seen checking in for flights which haven't been leaving or arriving since the airport stopped operations Wednesday afternoon.
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As operations slowly came back to normal, officials said there were more than 200 flight cancelations as of Friday afternoon.
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The airport's north runway was still covered by water but planes were taking off on the south runway, officials said.
Tempers flared at one point at a check-in counter was weary travelers tried to get on some of the first planes departing. But other travelers said it was important to remain calm.
"I’m okay, I’m here. I’m gonna be calm. I’m gonna have my cup of coffee and I’m very excited to go home," one traveler said.
In a tweet Friday morning, the airport reminded travelers to check their flight status with their airline before going to the airport.
Officials had previously hoped to reopen by 5 a.m. Friday but were skeptical because the north runway and taxiways were still submerged with floodwaters. Some of the water had receded, but more rain came Thursday afternoon, so the reopening was pushed back to accommodate final inspections to determine the safety of the airfields.
Broward County Mayor Lamar Fisher had said reopening the airport is a process that can’t be rushed.
"We are not gonna open this airport until it’s completely safe for our visitors and our residents," he said Thursday.
The airport director said there was so much debris in the water, it was not safe to move the airplanes.
“There could be engine ingestion, debris that gets into the brakes, which are complex systems, yeah, could even puncture a tire, so we can’t allow taxiing aircraft through deep water like this," Michael Nonnemacher said.
"There’s way too much water to move and no place to put it," he added.
Officials said Thursday that the runway on the south side was dry and in good condition, but taxiways were still blocked by water.
The airport has halted operations Wednesday afternoon as the wet weather was starting to inundate the area.
The entryways to the airport were so flooded that travelers were stranded Wednesday night — there was no way to safely leave or enter the airport.
Drivers were also stranded on nearby Perimeter Road. Mark Boersma came to rescue his stranded wife and kids.
"Then all of a sudden, within five minutes, it was a flash flood that came through," he said. "The water went up to the bottom of the windows, and then we had to get the kids out through the side windows to safety, and that was pretty much it.”
Steve Bioletti was stranded in Fort Lauderdale, trying to get back to New Jersey. He helped Boersma's kids escape.
"It was a group, a bunch of us, a bunch of guys — the water was like waist deep and we got the kids on our shoulders and walked ‘em out and then threw ‘em out and then threw ‘em in the back of the Nissan, put the heat on for ‘em, and they just kinda hung out," he said. "They were really good about it.”
Bioletti also shot some video and took pictures of the scene, pointing out how some drivers anchored their cars against the current.
"I’ve never seen anything like it, it was relentless, it was raining from like 2:30 to 11 nonstop," he said. "Like absolutely insane."
Preliminary figures from the National Weather Service in Miami showed 25.91 inches of rain fell at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, shattering the old record of 14.59 inches set in 1979.
