Miami and South Florida woke up early Monday (Sept. 11) to swiftly pick up the pieces left behind by Hurricane Irma.
By 11 a.m., Brickell Avenue, Miami’s financial backbone, was muddy but open to traffic, in stark contrast to less than 12 hours earlier, when the entire avenue was impassable, 2-3 feet deep in storm surge water.
Despite widespread damage and loss of power, Florida Power and Light (FPL) crews — many which worked overnight — were busy restoring power and several areas that had been dark the night before were reporting electricity back up by noon.
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Business as usual will likely, however, take at least a couple of days to get back to normal. Access to Miami Beach, where including UMLE, Warner Music and most of the major Latin operations have their offices, was restricted on Monday. Residents will not be allowed in until Tuesday, which likely means business as usual won’t resume until Wednesday. As of Monday, there was no power in the beach anyway, while at 11 a.m. local time about 80 percent of South Florida, including Miami, was without power.
Sony Music Latin, which is located in Coconut Grove, another area affected by flooding and under evacuation, was also closed Monday with its opening date yet to be determined. The Latin Academy’s offices were also closed.
Because Miami International and Fort Lauderdale airports are both closed until Tuesday, any air travel for business is currently restricted.
Concerts scheduled for Sept. 8-10 had to be rescheduled, including a show by Colombian pop act Andres Cepeda slated for The Filmore on Saturday that has been moved to December. While those slated for this coming weekend — among them Depeche Mode and Nicky Jam Sept. 15 and 16, respectively, at the American Airlines Arena, have yet to be rescheduled. As for The Filmore, which is located in the heart of South Beach, any rescheduling decisions would have to wait until at least tomorrow when residents are allowed back into Miami Beach to assess damage.
In Puerto Rico, two sold-out shows by Ozuna at San Juan’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico on Sept. 15 and 16 are currently still scheduled to take place.
Many of Miami’s celebrities stayed in contact with fans through social media, most notably Enrique Iglesias, who even cruised Miami streets, and Gloria Estefan, who provided tips on hurricane preparedness.
Another great tip to charge our phones in case the power runs out…But even though fear is… https://t.co/iGT9xMwBiO
— Gloria Estefan (@GloriaEstefan) September 9, 2017