Year: 2017

Despite some GOP members’ skepticism about the state of the environment, climate change continues to affect the geographically vulnerable ecology of South Florida. State politicians such as Gov. Rick Scott have circumvented the issue, denied its urgency, and even refused to acknowledge the existence of sea-level rise, worsening weather patterns, and erosion. But at the […]

We can’t blame king tides, but the flooding that engulfed Miami Beach and Miami’s Mary Brickell Village area after seven inches of torrential rain fell on Tuesday, sadly, reveals we’re far from being ready to handle a deluge — from the sky or the sea. The flooding was an eye-opener for both Ground Zero cities […]

Even if there wasn’t evidence of rising sea levels, flood insurance markets would be struggling to keep their heads above water. Decades of unchecked coastal development, particularly in Florida, have vastly increased the number of properties exposed to the risk of flooding, and the replacement values of those structures have skyrocketed. Under normal conditions, severe […]

ST. PETERSBURG — The summers are getting hotter. The sea is rising. And as the fallout from climate change becomes more drastic, St. Petersburg is among the most vulnerable cities in the country. But the city is trying to defend itself, exploring strategies to protect its most endangered neighborhoods. After receiving a $30,000 grant from […]

Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach each have a resilience officer who helps plan for long-term challenges like sea level rise, traffic and the high cost of housing. The resilience officers work with local officials and also with a prestigious international program called 100 Resilient Cities. Last week, the trio from […]

On MidPoint we continue our ongoing discussion of the climate crisis, including sea-level rise, and how Tampa Bay is preparing; or maybe it’s more accurate to say how it’s not doing enough preparing. In a major news story last month, the Washington Post looked at this exact question. It begins: “Tampa Bay’s coming storm. The […]

For people in the southeastern United States, and especially in Florida, who feel that annoying tidal flooding has sneaked up on them in recent years, it turns out to be true. And scientists have a new explanation. In a paper published online Wednesday, University of Florida researchers calculated that from 2011 to 2015, the sea […]

HONG KONG — The island of Guam made rare headlines this week when North Korea, responding to blustery language from President Trump, threatened to fire four ballistic missiles into waters near the American territory’s shores. Some Guam residents told reporters that they worried what might happen if North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, were actually to […]

25 years after the devastating Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida, Swiss Re calculated what the loss levels would be today if the same hurricane hit the region, revealing insured losses would double to reach $50-60 billion, and economic damage would exceed $80 to $100 billion. This is due to stark development and asset value growth […]