‘Both Cars are Under Water’: Video Shows Tourists Caught in Pensacola Flooding

A group of friends on vacation in Pensacola, Florida, found themselves trapped in their beach rental and their cars as floodwaters swept the area this week.

Vodaka Watkins-Roberts said the friends were sleeping when police started banging at the door.  They woke to find both of their cars underwater.

In a video she posted to Facebook Watkins-Roberts said the water was getting so high it was coming into the house.

“Look at my car, y’all,” she said on the video, which showed floodwaters reaching nearly to the top of the cars.

The families reported themselves safe later in the morning.

More than nine inches of rain fell at Pensacola International Airport in a nine-hour period, according to city officials.

Meteorologist Scottlin Williams with the Escambia County Emergency Management Agency said some areas saw up to 15 inches in a 12-hour period and warned three to five inches of additional rain was possible on Friday.

Several roads remained closed as crews were assessing damage and rainfall continued.

The Pensacola Fire Department responded to multiple calls overnight, including two residential structure fires, three power lines down, five mutual aid structure fires and one mutual aid rescue.

No storm-related injuries had been reported in the city.

Public Works and Parks and Recreation crews were working to clear any debris from city roadways, along with clearing storm inlets.  They asked that people stay off the roads if possible.