"The roar of a generator overwhelmed the quiet burbling of water at the Little River Pocket Park on Monday. It hadn’t rained in days, but the park — and several nearby streets — were under nearly two feet of water from this year’s king tides, the annual highest tides of the year.

The sound came from a temporary stormwater drainage pump, one of ten placed by the city of Miami to combat the tidal flooding that swamps roads, sidewalks, yards and parks across South Florida every fall. The pump had one hose hooked into a city drain, where it sucked up the excess water flooding the neighborhood. The other end dumped into the nearby Little River. But less than ten feet away from that discharge hose, the river had overflowed its banks and was pouring back into the park over a particularly low-lying chunk of sea wall.

As the tide peaked Monday morning, the generator continued to sputter at full force, fruitlessly draining water into a river that returned it to the street within moments."

Alex Harris and Ashley Miznazi report for the Miami Herald November 1, 2023. [2]