From Palm Beach County to the Florida Keys, authorities are making moves to combat the effects of climate change which has already seen rising sea levels which is spilling over into communities close to the coastline.
Just this month Broward County officials ordered the drawing of new flood maps using forecasts for higher sea levels. Fort Lauderdale has raised the required height of sea walls while Delray Beach has added valves in an effort to keep saltwater out of the city’s drainage system.
But according to a report on the Sun Sentinel, the moves are not enough to ensure that South Florida is fully prepared for the effects of climate change. The report said a national advocacy group graded the efforts by officials at C minus.
As a heated national debate on the causes of climate change and the steps the U.S. government should go to prepare for it rages on, authorities at Florida’s southern tip are not resting on their laurels and are preparing to slow down the effects of it.
That section of the state is densely populated and billions in real estate is at stake..
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate is increasing.
Sea levels are predicted to rise by six to 10 inches by 2030, 14 to 26 inches by 2060 and 31 to 61 inches by 2100, according to the Southeast Florida Regional Compact Climate Action Plan, updated in October 2015
Climate change is expected to lead to increased flooding along the coast and inland, intrusion of salt water into the underground freshwater supply, decrease in property values and an increase in insurance costs, the plan states.
In recent years coastal water has been rising in communities of Key West, Key Largo, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
