It's become common to see new homes in South Florida constructed on land raised by trucked-in gravel. But neighbors wonder especially after the latest “rain bomb” to hit Fort Lauderdale if the standards to raise new construction make flooding worse for surrounding older homes.
Complaints of new development worsening flooding in surrounding areas are common across South Florida, and floodplain experts say it underlines a problem with perhaps the leading strategy for coping with flooding driven by climate change.
Florida has an exploding population on the coast, while climate change raises the risk of hurricanes with deadly coastal flooding. That combination may one day force the conversation on retreating from these dangerous places, but for now, the focus remains on how we will rebuild.
On borrowed time Why coastal Florida keeps rebuilding after storms like Hurricane Ian wuwf.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wuwf.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Southwest Florida has already answered the immediate question after Hurricane Ian slammed into the coast, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes with record-high storm surge: Will we rebuild?