VERO BEACH, Fla. — Weekend storms along the Treasure Coast dropped nearly four inches of rain in Vero Beach in 24 hours.
Neighbors and local business owners told WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield that Sunday night's deluge caused some of the worst flooding they've seen in years.
WATCH BELOW: Record rainfall soaks Vero Beach
We received video and pictures of cars trying to drive through the flooded intersection at A1A and Beachland Boulevard.
According to the National Weather Service, Vero Beach was soaked by a record 3.83 inches of rain in 24 hours.
On Monday, WPTV spoke to Kathy Marcinak, who is visiting the area from Michigan and witnessed flooding on Vero Beach's west side.
"There were a couple of parking lots with lakes in them," Marcinak said. "Some areas were really flooded. The water would come over our jeep."
But the flooding was everywhere throughout the city.
Stephen Daniel Smith, manager of Cooper's Chop House and Seafood off Royal Palm Pointe, said they were open for business when the storm hit.
"It was coming down like a typhoon," said Smith. "It's been a long time since I've seen that kind of rain come down."
Smith said it came out of nowhere on Sunday night, flooding the outside of the restaurant.
"Ferocious wind, it was a squall, so it came in sideways," Smith said. "We were completely flooded in here, all the way to the front door.”
Smith said it stranded staff and customers for around an hour.
"People could not get out, people could not get in," Smith said.
Smith told WPTV his team's priority was keeping the customers safe.
"Can I get them back out to the car? Can everybody be all right?" Smith said. "It was lightning, it was wind, it was everything at once."
WPTV spoke to Matthew Mills, who works with Public Works for the city of Vero Beach.
Mills said they have crews to help unclog storm drains ahead of heavy rainfall events, but added that neighbors need to be prepared and have a plan.
"Make sure you have a plan to flood-proof your home with sandbags, something you put over the doors and thresholds to help stop that flood water from coming in, because it could happen at any time, even outside of hurricane season," Mills said.
Read more of WPTV's coverage below:
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