Extreme rainfall like Eta
Federal storm records for Tropical Storm Eta in November 2020 describe 12 to 18 inches of rain across southwest Broward, from Weston to Miramar, with significant street flooding.
Broward County
Water Damage Restoration in Weston
Weston is a planned community at the western edge of Broward County, where the city meets the Everglades. About three quarters of its homes were built in the 1990s and 2000s, and Tropical Storm Eta showed how much rain the area can take in one storm.
ZIP codes in the area
- 33326
- 33327
- 33331
- 33332
Some of these ZIP codes also include neighboring communities.
Rain at the edge of the Everglades
Weston is the westernmost city in Broward County. The Everglades line its northern and western sides, and Sunrise, Davie and Southwest Ranches wrap around the rest. To keep water off roads and out of homes, the city relies on a stormwater system of lakes, canals, pipes and pumps.
That system handles ordinary rain. Tropical Storm Eta was something else. In November 2020, federal storm records describe 12 to 18 inches of rain across southwest Broward from Weston to Miramar, with significant street flooding. The city runs five pump stations, but pumps have a fixed capacity, and rain on that scale arrives faster than any system can clear it.
When water comes into a home from the yard or street, it is treated as contaminated. Wet carpet and pad are normally removed, drywall is cut above the waterline, and the slab is cleaned before drying equipment goes in. The flood cleanup page covers each step, and the hurricane water damage checklist helps with the hours right after a storm passes.
Plumbing in a planned community
Weston was built as a planned community, largely over two decades. About half of the city’s housing was built in the 1990s and roughly a quarter in the 2000s. The median home dates to 1995.
Housing that new can seem like an unlikely place for leaks. But a home built in the 1990s is now around 30 years old, and original parts such as valves, supply lines and drain connections may be near the end of their service life. Signs worth watching for:
- a ceiling stain under an upstairs bathroom or near the air handler closet
- baseboards that soften or pull away from the wall
- a musty smell in a closet that shares a wall with a bathroom
- a water bill that climbs without a clear reason
Most Weston homes are detached single-family houses, so a leak usually stays within one property. Townhomes and multi-unit buildings are the exception, and there the drying often has to extend into a neighbor’s space. Emergency water removal comes first when water is standing on the floor.
ZIP codes shared with neighbors
Only 33326 is mostly Weston by land area, with smaller parts in Sunrise and Davie. 33331 is mainly Southwest Ranches and Davie. 33327 and 33332 cover far more ground than the city because both include big areas of unincorporated Everglades land, and 33332 also reaches Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines. All four ZIP codes are served by the same 24/7 line.
What puts Weston properties at risk
A drainage system built on pumps
Weston's stormwater system relies on lakes, canals and five city pump stations. Pumps move water at a set rate, so rain that arrives faster than that has to wait in streets and yards.
1990s plumbing reaching middle age
About half of Weston's homes were built in the 1990s and roughly another quarter in the 2000s. Supply lines, valves and AC drain lines that were installed with the house are now well past their early years.
Townhomes and attached units
About 13 percent of homes are attached single-family units and close to a quarter are in multi-unit buildings. In those homes a leak can spread through a shared wall or ceiling before anyone sees it.
Services
Restoration services in Weston
- Mold RemediationContainment, HEPA filtration, removal of affected materials and moisture correction after a leak.
- Sewage CleanupRemoval, disinfection and drying after toilet overflows, main line backups and septic problems.
- Commercial Water DamageLarge-area drying, documentation and phased work for offices, stores, restaurants, associations and hotels.
Neighborhoods and communities
- Bonaventure
- Windmill Ranch
- Country Isles
- Emerald Estates
Nearby service areas
- Sunrise
- Davie
- Pembroke Pines
- All of Broward County
FAQ
Questions from Weston
My ZIP code is 33331. Is Southwest Ranches covered as well?
Yes. By land area, 33331 is mostly Southwest Ranches and Davie, with about a quarter in Weston and a small piece in Pembroke Pines. The same 24/7 line serves homes in every part of the ZIP code.
Why does a map of 33327 or 33332 look mostly empty?
Both ZIP codes include large stretches of unincorporated land, much of it Everglades, which makes Weston look like a small share on a land-area map. 33332 also reaches into Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines, and 33326 includes parts of Sunrise and Davie.
Weston has pump stations. How did water still reach doorsteps during Eta?
Any pumped drainage system has a limit on how fast it can move water. When a foot or more of rain falls in a single storm, lakes and canals fill faster than pumps can lower them, and low spots in streets and yards hold the excess until they can.
Which parts of a 1990s Weston home tend to leak as it ages?
The usual suspects are supply lines to toilets and sinks, shutoff valves that have not been turned in years, water heaters, washing machine hoses and the condensate drain line from the air handler. A clogged AC drain is easy to miss because the water often soaks into a closet floor or ceiling before it shows.