FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale is without water after a water main break.
- Fort Lauderdale under state of emergency
- Water service has been shut down after water main break
- City offices, restaurants, hotels closed for now
The city is under a state of emergency and the city emergency operations center is up and running due to this crisis.
City offices, restaurants and hotels here are shuttered for now
Water service is expected to be out until at least 7 a.m. Friday.
On Wednesday, an FPL contractor damaged a 42-inch water main near the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. That water main feeds raw water from the city's well-fields to one of the local water treatment plants. As repairs were being made overnight, the line collapsed, forcing workers to shut off the water entirely.
Fort Lauderdale and several surrounding cities are affected.
Meanwhile, the rush has been on at local stores as people are emptying the shelves of bottled water.
Officials are trying to get the word out to people living in apartments, businesses and nursing homes.
If you live in Central Florida or the Tampa area and have family in Fort Lauderdale, make sure that they know to boil their water or use bottled water until the all clear is given.
Local fire departments are providing tanker trucks to assist if needed.
The contractor who broke the main has been cited.