What to Know
NBC 6 Investigators reviewed data and found nearly 197,000 homes in South Florida are in jeopardy when the sea level rises two feet
The city of Miami Beach spent $40.9 million elevating the island’s roads and putting in drains and pumps to prevent flooding in the lower areas
The director of FIU s Sea Level Solutions Center described what could happen in South Florida as a “triple whammy” - the sea will rise, a higher water table and stronger rains will cause more flooding
Sitting in the middle of Biscayne Bay, sea level rise threatens the small community of Palm Island.
A report from the Miami Beach Office of the Inspector General found the project, at times, didn’t have the proper permits, went over budget, and took longer than originally planned.
The city’s official response called portions of the report an attempt to “sensationalize” but noted there were “lessons learned.”
Some neighbors told NBC 6 elevating the roads now causes some yards to flood when they didn’t before. The city is working to fix the issue.
Melissa Berthier, a spokesperson for the city, wrote in a statement the project “will be completed within 7% of the anticipated construction cost in the next few months.” She went on to say, “The project functions as intended, and we have already avoided double digit flooding days as a result of the work performed. The schedule could have been better as a result of working through the details of a first mover project of this kind and challenges regarding changes of ownership and leadership of the contracted desig