Video shows floodwaters rushing into Miami Beach elevator, trapping residents inside

Surveillance video shows the frightening moment floodwaters rushed into a Miami Beach elevator over the weekend, trapping residents and children inside.

Since Sunday, Rick Sardana has been taking the stairs up to his 10th-floor condo after heavy rainstorms brought flooding outside the Vendome Place Condominiums on Collins Avenue.

“I’m not even uncomfortable in there, it brings back bad memories,” he told NBC6 on Tuesday.

In the video, Sardana is seen coming down to the garage to check on his cars. Then the elevator abruptly stops.

“The elevator shook and then froze, and water started to seep in, and water was also coming from the top,” he said.

His neighbors, Bruno and his 4-year-old daughter Jordana, were also inside as they worked to make their way out.

He said Sardana eventually put his fingers between the door and pulled.

“I knew God was giving him some extra power,” he said.

Everyone from inside made their way out into waist-deep water 



It took about 24 hours before the water drained out, damaging almost all of the cars in the garage.
But despite it all, Sardana said he learned an important lesson 



“Never take the elevator when there is flooding or fire, that’s kind of my big lesson,” he said.

Story from nbcmiami.com