Florida Needs to Handle Its Floods: The question is how?
Florida’s floods are causing millions of dollars in environmental damage, in matter of fact, according to PEW Research the cost of flood damages in terms of repair costs, can reach more than 500,000$ in certain parts of South Florida (Lightbody, 2018). In today’s status quo because of rising sea levels: tidal flooding in Florida has increased by over 300% since the year 2000, storm drains are becoming backed up with excess water which in turn floods back onto the city from the very pipes designed to redirect the water to a new location and is causing Florida’s sea level to rise about an inch every single year (Jurado, et al, 2017).
Allowing these floods to continue to torment Florida greatly increases the chances of Florida becoming the next Atlantis. While it remains true that the sea around Florida’s coast has only been raised by about 8 inches since 1950, the rate at which the sea has been rising since then has drastically sped up in the past 10 years (Jurado, et al, 2017). We are now currently on track to becoming permanently partially or completely underwater by up to 2 meters by the time the year 2100 rolls around (Pereira, 2017). Floods are not just a threat to the survival of our land however, floods also threaten Florida’s economy and people immensely.
Flooding takes away from Florida’s economy: both on the state level, and residential level. Currently of Florida’s $69,975,817,005 budget (StateOfFlorida.com, 2018) $4,000,000,000+ are being spent in efforts to help come up with a solution to this issue. Here are some of the most notable and most recognizable: Miami Beach’s incentive consists of a 400,000,000-dollar budget, Fort Lauderdale’s $1,000,000,000, and Broward’s consists of $250,000,000 (Jurado, et al, 2017). These expenses are not only shared by our governments but also by our people. ABC says that “As of March 15, 2018, nearly 33,000 NFIP claims for… damage [have] been filed. [And] more than $993 million [has] been paid to policyholders, with an average closed claim payment of $46,099.” Of course, this number may seem like something great for those who have flood insurance and managed to acquire affordable flood insurance beforehand, however its true negative impacts are hidden beneath the surface of these seemingly harmless (and almost beneficial) claims (ABC, 2018). Currently, the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) is 24 billion dollars in debt. This is due to NFIP’s budget and income becoming beaten down to a non-existent level as these floods “become more frequent, [and their] damage more extensive.” The more claims Floridians file, the more money the NFIP has to pay out which is not a good thing because when the NFIP revises their premiums in January of 2018 flood insurance holders could be facing insurance premium surges in price by “25 to 60 percent” (Sun-Sentinel, 2018). This increase in price could crush Florida before the sea levels do.
If flood insurance prices rise by 60 percent more than they are now, this could cause Floridians to ditch buying flood insurance altogether, which is not a good idea because it leaves their homes susceptible to irreparable out of pocket flood damage. In high risk areas flood insurance premiums for homes can very well reach into the thousands of dollars increasing it anymore could very well put a strain on current home owners’ pockets and deter away potential home buyers from other states because of the rising costs of living in Florida (Augustyniak, 2017). According to StateOfFlorida.com tourism brings in 67 of the 69 billion dollars in the Florida annual budget. People come to Florida as tourists so often because of the beautiful climate, scenery, and beaches, flooding however is putting our tourism industry at risk. This flooding issue with its impending waters, rising insurance premiums, raising home prices (from property owners who want to account for the higher costs of land in lower risk areas), could very well be enough of an issue to chase the tourists away and keep out of state potential home buyers at bay (StateOfFlorida.com, 2018).
Flooding is a public hazard. It is an issue that is not only dealing with monetary values, but life itself as well. Flooding causes “typically about 82 flood deaths a year, making it, on average, the second most deadly weather-related event behind extreme heat” (Dolce, 2016). The Florida Emergency Management Agency claims that “6 inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and potential stalling,” Florida on average receives about 59.21 inches of rainfall a year (U.S Climate Data, 2018). FEMA also says that 12 inches of flood water is enough to whisk away a stationery vehicle and that two feet of “rushing water will carry away most vehicles, including SUVs and pickups” (Dolce, 2016). SeaLevelRise.Org also states that because of Florida’s geological landscape water wells that are filled with fresh drinking water are sometimes contaminated by salty flood waters that sometimes rise higher than the wells themselves which in turn, allows the waters to flow into the wells and mix in with the fresh water which then becomes a health hazard, an expensive one to fix (Jurado, et al, 2017). These statistics go to show just how much of a hazard flooding is for Florida’s people (in regard to death) and also property (in regard to property damage, such as a car getting whisked away or short circuited).
Considering how grand the issue of flooding is for not only Florida’s economy but also its people and environment it should be on the top priority list of issues needing to be solved. A solution needs to be put forth that is not only effective and efficient but also timely. My solution is all three. It consists of bringing about changes to the way Florida handles its infrastructure by the coastline.
Firstly, let’s discus: Method. Currently there’s an anti-flooding measure being implemented in places like the UK, Australia, and Austria dubbed simply: flood wall. It looks like this:
Source: Lance Foyster Photography : Strong flood walls in Austria
A flood wall is essentially a wall, usually constructed of solid concrete or other non-permeable material that is erected to help combat a rising tidal wave or incoming flood waters. Although the idea of a flood wall is not new, most old-fashioned versions of a flood wall included more permanent, less flexible walls like the ones pictured below.
Source: Mike Dodman: “permanent” flood defenses outside Swan Hotel”
The key difference between the walls pictured outside the Swan Hotel and the ones I’m proposing is the technique. I’m proposing a flood wall that has a function more akin to the ones being constructed in Austria which can be raised for higher tides and lowered for lower tides, with the option to also be moved. Movable, raiseable flood walls give the state more flexibility over the walls and allows for easier installation AND removable which is essential to have in case the issue regarding rising sea levels is somehow solved by an international effort towards cleaner energy.
These walls alone would not be enough to combat our floods however because Florida is founded upon a foundation consisting mainly of porous limestone that allows water to flow into Florida’s land mass from both the coast and from the ground itself. So, the walls would need to be paired with a mandatory edit to Florida’s building permit requirements. The edit would consist of a mandatory order for any future buildings to require a foundation focused on non-permeable materials like glass or aluminum metal foil or any other material that falls under Class I vapor retarders which consists of numerous materials of 0.1 perm or less. (Friedman).
When introducing this plan of course a couple of issues need to be addressed, the first being the feasibility of affordability, the porous limestone issue, and the time frame.
To tackle the issue of affordability I’d like to point out Mr.Valenstein that although Florida is only voluntarily spending upwards of 4 billion dollars on flood counter-measures we involuntarily billions more than that. Because of the floods brought about by hurricane Irma alone, we spent about 50 billion dollars as a nation in repairs, of which we could guarantee Florida accounted for at least ¼ of (Smith, 2018). My point being: the money is there, it’s just up to the Florida Department of Environmental protection to push for the funds to enact this plan. The same company in the UK that invented the famous flood walls of Austria are the same ones who can bring the technology to Florida: Flood Resolution Co Ltd. They’re eco-friendly, affordable, experienced in this kind and the perfect company for this kind of work.
This plan is not only affordable because it saves money in the short-term (and long-term), but also affordable because of the current availability of funds (literally billions of dollars) and the dire demand this state has for revolution in this sector. This plan is also more efficient, effective and timely than any other plan, because it involves readily available (since 2013), efficient technology that takes into account the porous limestone problem by utilizing restrictions on newer building permits to restrict permeability of Florida’s land to reduce in-floor flooding/leakage but also by using technology that utilizes technology based on two things: “permanently built solid foundations and removable mobile barriers” along with an underground wall or blockade that sits below the surface of the water to prevent underwater currents from passing through the top or bottom of the wall (Williams, 2018).
Sure, there have been other alternative solutions presented like flood walls, however the flood walls presented to the Miami board of commissioners were faulty because of their impractical nature of being immobile, expensive, and lacking a clear plan to address the limestone issue. My plan utilizes a more advanced and affordable floodwall, and a building requirement for buildings to have non permeable foundations added to them that will in turn as more buildings are built, form a virtually non-permeable community across Florida which will act as man-made barriers against the flood-prone limestone that lies underneath. There have also been solutions presented regarding storm pumps. While storm pumps are somewhat effective, they often times become clogged with excessive storm surge and are intended to really only defend from excessive rainfall not from coastal flooding, they often times become clogged while re-directing storm surge and end up flooding the streets of Miami Beach rather than clearing them out (Jurado,et al, 2017). My flood walls and building requirement however, take into account both excessive rainfall and tidal flooding.
In short, this plan should be enacted because it is the plan Florida deserves. It is the plan Florida needs in order to stop Flooding once and for all. It is: affordable, effective, efficient, and most importantly, feasible. Traditional methods have failed to keep our citizens safe, our economy lies in the unpredictable hands of these waters and so does our future. The results, costs, and effort needed to bring this plan to life will outweigh ANY potential cons by far. Without a strong plan with a focused solution like this one, the generation of the future might not live to see a flourishing Florida.
Works Cited
- ABC. “Floridians Advised to Buy Flood Insurance Now.” Tallahassee News | ABC 27 WTXL, ABC 27, 23 Mar. 2018.
- Augustyniak, Susan. “How Much Does Flood Insurance Cost in Florida? Prices & Premiums | Augustyniak Insurance Group.” Www.weshopinsurance.com, Augustyniak Insurance, 12 Apr. 2018.
- Dodman, Mike. “Permanent” Flood Defences Outside Swan Hotel. Worcestershire, Great Britain, 2012.
- Dolce, Chris. “At Least 234 People Have Been Killed By Flooding in the U.S. in Nearly 18 Months.” The Weather Channel, The Weather Channel, 26 June 2016.
- “Florida Quick Facts.” State of Florida.com, StateOfFloriaOrganization, Jan. 2018.
- Foyster, Lance. Strong Flood Walls in Austria. Wachau Valley, 14 June 2013.
- Friedman, Daniel. “Material Permeability Numbers Building Materials Perm Ratings, Standards, Codes.” Inspect-A-Pedia, Inspect-A-Pedia.com.
- Jurado, Jennifer, et al. “Florida’s Sea Level Has Risen 8 Inches.” Sea Level Rise, SeaLevelRise.Org, 10 Mar. 2017.
- Lightbody, Laura. “Florida: Flood Risk and Mitigation.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, PEW Research, 4 Apr. 2018.
- Pereira, Sydney. “How Much Longer before All of Florida Is Underwater?” NewsWeek.com, NewsWeek, 3 Nov. 2017.
- Smith, Adam B. “2017 U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: a Historic Year in Context.” Climate Change: Global Sea Level | NOAA Climate.gov, ClimateWatch Magazine, 8 Jan. 2018.
- Sun-Sentinel, South Florida. “Flood Insurance Premiums May Sink South Florida before the Rising Sea Does | Editorial.” Sun-Sentinel.com, SouthFloridaSunSentinel, 1 July 2018.
- U.S Climate Data. “Climate Florida- Temperature, Rainfall and Average.” Map of San Diego – California – Longitude, Altitude – Sunset, U.S Climate Data Center, 2018.
- Williams, Faye. “Who’s Afraid of Floods? The Mobile Flood Walls in Austria Keep Everyone Safe!” Elite Readers, Elite Readers, 24 July 2018.