City’s Resiliency Efforts in the Spotlight

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was in town this week filming the City’s resiliency efforts as an example of innovation in addressing sea level rise. While stormwater pumps and seawalls are not new strategies, the raising of streets is charting new territory. (In fact, so new that a few months ago, a flood insurance claim was denied for Sardinia when a claim adjuster declared the restaurant a basement as he had not seen raised streets before. The City helped to educate FEMA, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program about the efforts, and FEMA is working with insurance adjusters to better understand the concept. That claim is still pending but the City is optimistic it will be resolved favorably.)
 
Now, the raised roads are part of a film produced by FEMA highlighting efforts to combat sea level rise. City Engineer Bruce Mowry and Environmental and Sustainability Director Elizabeth Wheaton make star turns. No federal money is invested in the project. It is funded mostly by local dollars with some coming from the state.
 
Indeed, the City’s experiment is being watched globally… French and German media were also in town to document the efforts.


Image: City of Miami Beach