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Wicked storms pummeled parts of South Florida Saturday evening with flooding rains and winds. Over three inches of rain had fallen in some parts of Broward County, including the Fort Lauderdale area.
In Hollywood, Florida, a structure, described as a gazebo, collapsed onto patrons at a rooftop club at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.
Officers with the Seminole Police Department say a sudden gust of wind struck the structure in the outdoor area of the DAER Club, located on the roof of the casino, causing it to partially collapse.
The National Weather Service had issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of northern Broward County with the potential for wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Later Saturday evening, another strong thunderstorm moving through Broward County was reported capable of producing 45–50 mph wind gusts.
The incident occurred shortly after 7 pm Saturday and it was not immediately clear what, if any, precautions were taken by DAER Club to ensure the safety of patrons ahead of the severe weather outbreak.
Five people inside the structure suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital for evaluation.
Authorities did not released additional details about the incident, including the extent of the damage or the identities of those injured.
A rooftop gazebo, pergola, cabana, shade structure, or similar open-air structure is often one of the most difficult rooftop additions to get approved in South Florida because it presents a large wind sail area.
In Miami-Dade and Broward counties, a rooftop gazebo is generally treated as a structural appurtenance and must be engineered to resist the full design wind loads applicable to the building.
A gazebo or similar rooftop structure would generally be engineered for approximately 175 mph ultimate wind speed under current code.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
