September 10, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, FACEC
President, Chen Moore and Associates
Last week: This past week, the city of Fort Lauderdale experienced the first tidal event that qualifies under the definition of king tides. King tides provide a glimpse of future everyday water levels, and they are a way to communicate local sea-level rise impacts over long time periods. Low-lying shoreline development is at increased risk of flooding because of rising seas, and public investments in infrastructure, housing and habitat restoration projects are often expected to last for decades, so we get a glimpse of what is to come in the future. Stay safe and avoid driving when roads are totally underwater.
Looking ahead: Broward County is taking a major step forward next week with the selection of a consultant to develop the Countywide Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan. The purpose of this plan is to develop an actionable resilient infrastructure improvement plan consisting of a visualization platform to aid regional planning and provide a foundation for collective mitigation of future flooding. While that sounds like a mouthful, it really is a critical step to not only create a countywide plan to address sea-level rise and resiliency, but also to be sure it is in a format accessible to all county residents.
