Latest news with #FighttheFloodPropertyAdaptation
Miami Herald
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Explore four ways climate change may affect Florida in 2025
South Florida Explore four ways climate change may affect Florida in 2025 Florida faces growing challenges from climate change. Rising sea levels are speeding up, with Miami expected to see about two feet of sea level rise by 2060 and as many as 23,000 people at risk for coastal flooding by 2050. Extreme weather like hurricanes and torrential rain is already damaging homes and raising costs for farmers, which means higher restaurant prices and food shortages. Programs like Miami Beach's "Fight the Flood Property Adaptation" are helping residents install flood barriers or raise their homes, but there are barriers like high property costs and delays. Cities are also using updated flood predictions to plan for new developments, knowing that building resilience and reducing emissions will be key steps moving forward. The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Chefs Val and Nando Chang at the counter of the original Itamae at the former St. Roch Market (now MIA Market), where they opened in 2018. Val Chang hosted the James Beard Foundation at her restaurant, Maty's, on Jan. 22 to discuss how climate change is disrupting the restaurant and farming industries. By MATIAS J. OCNER NO. 1: RISING PRICES ON SOUTH FLORIDA MENUS? RISING COSTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONTRIBUTE 'Climate change has a direct impact on the supply chain that your favorite chefs depend on.' | Published January 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ashley Miznazi No children were playing on the dinosaur or pony ride at the Little River Pocket Mini Park Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 9, 2021, after the park was flooded with King Tide waters. This type of flooding could be much more common in the future as sea levels rise. By Emily Michot NO. 2: WE ANSWER YOUR CLIMATE QUESTIONS: HOW MUCH SEA LEVEL RISE IS MIAMI EXPECTING? Exactly how high will the tide rise? Scientists have a prediction. | Published April 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris A resident walks with her belongings through the flooded N 15th St in North Tampa, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, a day after Hurricane Milton crossed Florida's Gulf Coast. By Pedro Portal NO. 3: FLORIDA MOST AT RISK OF 'SEVERE COASTAL FLOODING.' NEW RESEARCH SHOWS WHERE 'This is a level of exposure that's going to require a massive amount of planning and investment in coastal resilience.' | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby Victor Corone, 66, pushes his wife Maria Diaz, 64, in a wheelchair through more than a foot of flood water on 84th street in Miami Beach on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Diaz had a doctor's appointment, and they had to ditch the car in the parking lot on Collins Ave and walk more than 20 minutes to get home. By Photograph by Al Diaz NO. 4: HOW TO GET MONEY TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM FLOODING IN MIAMI BEACH 'We want to do incremental adaptation, you know, things that we can build upon over time, and things that are going to stand the test of time' | Published April 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ashley Miznazi This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.
Miami Herald
04-04-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
How to get money to protect your home from flooding in Miami Beach
Miami Beach resident Laurie Davis is used to seeing water from time to time inside her converted garage on Lincoln Road. But after June's torrential rainstorm, the water time seeped past her French glass doors into the house for the first time — her towels and blankets unable to stem the flow. 'This is our home. We've been here since 2001 we can't afford to raise a house,' Davis said after attending a meeting for a new city program to help residents offset the cost of flood control measures. 'Just whatever I can get, whatever I can do if there's another heavy rain like this.' She has already bought an EzDam flood barrier for $900 but says she would need at least four more to protect all the glass doors around her house. Davis hopes applying to a Miami Beach grant program called 'Fight the Flood Property Adaptation' could help with that purchase and also provide expert advice on how to best protect her home in the future. The Fight the Flood program, which is open to apply to until April 25, offers up to $20,000 matched for flood adaptation projects in private homes and commercial buildings in Miami Beach, with a priority on historic properties. Applicants considered low-to-moderate income will not be required to match the reimbursement. 'To make the city resilient in a holistic way it's important to look at the private side as well ... we have to work together to do that,' Juanita Ballesteros, the City of Miami Beach sustainability and resilience manager said during a panel to discuss the program this month at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. Mitigation projects the program could support include short-term solutions like permeable pavement with gaps between the gravel that act as a reservoir for passing water, electrical system protection and rain gardens with native plants that absorb the water. It's also open to larger projects like seawalls and home-raising. 'We want to do incremental adaptation, you know, things that we can build upon over time, and things that are going to stand the test of time,' Amy Knowles, the Chief Resilience Officer of Miami Beach said. Miami Beach is a barrier island for the mainland and 93% of properties are in FEMA flood protection zones — which means all mortgages are required to have flood insurance. So far, 55 Miami Beach properties have received funding from the program including six historic homes, nine multifamily, two commercial properties and five low to moderate-income residences. Ballesteros said that they were working with two homeowners interested in elevating their homes but have been waiting on the FEMA applications to move forward for two years. The first part of the program is about education and expert advice. The city funds a $2,500 property consultation which evaluates the home and gives residents a menu of flood adaptation items to choose from at different price ranges. In the second half of the program, residents are required to find their own contractors, with up to $17,500 of the project being reimbursed. 'You don't have to spend $17,500 and can get a $1,000 flood barrier that can save you for the next rainstorm,' Alec Bogdanoff, a principal at the engineering consulting firm Brizaga, who leads the assessments said. 'Flooding is a little like high blood pressure, in that most of the time you may not be able to actually solve the high blood pressure problem. It's just a matter of, how do we control it for as long as we can,' he said. Make sure to allow extra time to collect documents before applying: property elevation certificate, flood insurance and proof of ownership, ID and income information and historic designation if applicable. The state also has an application open for a residential flood mitigation program called Elevate Florida created to physically raise existing homes, rebuild homes taller and strengthen roofs, roofs and windows from wind damage. The application closes on April 11. The property does not need to have experienced flooding to apply to the Elevate Florida Program led by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) but houses with a history of flood loss are prioritized. Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
