Hurricane Irma topples a Miami construction crane, and floods parts of the city

• A construction crane collapsed onto a high-rise building in Miami as wind from Hurricane Irma intensify across the city.
• Flooding around Miami's Brickell Avenue financial district and Edgewater has surged, with whitecaps forming on major streets.
• The City of Miami warns residents: "A tower crane has collapsed on top of a high rise under construction at 300 Biscayne Blvd. AVOID THE AREA!!"

A construction crane collapsed onto a high-rise building in Miami on Sunday as wind from Hurricane Irma intensified across the city, bringing significant flooding and storm surges.

The crane fell on Biscayne Boulevard in the heart of downtown Miami.

If you're in a building in the area of NE 3rd street & Biscayne Blvd facing the crane seek shelter in the opposite side of Bldg or stairwell.

Brickell Avenue, an upscale business and residential district near Miami Beach, was already being flooded out as Irma's fury rained down on the region.

A crane tower is seen after part of it collapsed from the winds of Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida.

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Breaking News: Streets have flooded in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood.

#Brickell Ave looks like an ocean. Rivers of water taking over Miami's financial district. Unprecedented flooding. #hurricaneIrma #irma

In preparing for the storm, Miami city officials warned residents in the downtown area to take extra precautions, due to the 20 to 25 construction cranes towering over the streets.

Currently, there are 20 to 25 constructions cranes in the City of Miami. These tower cranes are designed to withstand winds up to 145 miles per hour, not a Category 5 Hurricane.

Vice Chairman of Coastal Construction Dan Whiteman said he has 12 cranes in the Miami area that are designed to spin like weather vanes to ensure stability, according to an Associated Press report.