© Adriana Brasileiro/Miami Herald/TNS The playground at the Glorieta Gardens apartment complex in Opa-locka was still flooded more than two days after Tropical Storm Eta drenched South Florida with near-record rainfall. A third factor is climate change, and how it’s straining the 72-year-old drainage system designed to keep South Florida dry. Larger flood-control systems managed by the South Florida Water Management District, including dozens of canals, floodgates and pumps, worked as expected. That means when the rain does come, it’s more likely to overload the system like Eta did to South Florida. Swain is quick to point out that this research doesn’t account for sea level rise, which makes all the difference in coastal South Florida.
