Season Greetings Residents for Resilience!
R4R UPDATE
I’m sure you all are busy with fun Holiday parties and preparations. As our R4R team winds down toward the end of 2023, our November was busy with many interesting meetings, all pertaining to critical water issues.
At County meetings, flood mitigation and rising seas seemed to be the main topic of discussion. With climate data continually changing, a major concern being discussed questioned whether median recommendations for flood prone areas will provide a sustainable defense, or will costly adjustments have to made sooner rather than later. That question can be used on many of our water issues.
Another very important water issue that needs to be addressed relates
to the unhealthy state of our waterways. Over the Thanksgiving Holidays,
a friend and R4R active member, contacted me over concern for his son who had to be hospitalized due to a double bacterial infection of salmonella and E. coli. Doctors said his infection could only be contributed to exposure to high bacteria levels in our waterways. This eleven-year-old boy enjoys fishing off of our Nurmi Isles Bridges, and since there was no warning signage, or test results from Miami Waterkeeper and/or our City, since our Isles have been taken off their monitoring program. How was he,
or anyone supposed to know about the harmful conditions of our waterways at this time?
After heavy rain events, which we are experiencing much more frequently, our canals and waterways basically become storm drains, resulting in alarmingly high levels of bacteria, which you can see in the water quality report below. You will also see that many sites test high frequently, even during dry periods.
My question is, where was and is the warning signage?
Thankfully this young man has fully recovered, but our waterways have not. R4R will begin the new year advocating for waterway remediation, warning communication and signage during hazardous waterway conditions. I contracted MRSA paddleboarding on these waterways, so my suggestion to all of you is to please check Miami Waterkeeper test results page before any marine recreational activities.
CLIMATE SUMMIT
As many of you know I was invited to speak at the
Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact with a highly
regarded group of panelists on exploring the nexus between grassroots climate work, government action, and how partnerships between non-profits, and local governments can pave the way for Federal funding opportunities, as well as the role of the philanthropic community in fostering a thriving network of community-based organizations. As the representative of all of our Residents for Resilience my main concern was to express the need for inclusion, communication, education and collaboration between government leaders, climate specialist, and the public, in preparation for decisions that are going to have to be made as we adjust to our ever-changing climate.
If you would like to read more of my message visit our website at: https://www.residentsforresilience.com
I’d like to say a special thanks to two of our Expert Advisory Board members, David Punchard and Jose Sucre who attended this summit, and wrote a brief summary of their take on this important two-day event for all of you who were unable to attend. (See below)
ADVISORY BOARD
I would like to thank both of our amazing Advisory Boards, for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend our November meeting. It was a pleasure to finally meet all of you, and I look forward to working together as we advocate
on our concerns for critical water issues.
WATERWAY REMEDIATION PROJECTS
To begin the much needed restoration of our priceless waterways, our team of Marine Specialists are presently working on two Living Seawall projects, one public and the other private, and a more in-depth marine water testing program. We are also in the planning stages of our first “Let’s Talk Water” event which may be both live and zoominar, so 2024 looks like it could be a very busy year. As soon as we finalize a few key details we will share more information with all of you.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Speaking our “Let’s Talk Water” series, we are still in search of a new title.
Some of our favorite suggestions we have received so far:
Navigating the Waves: Discover innovative techniques being used for effective flood protection within our communities.
From Crisis to Conservation - Restoring the Health and Vitality of our Waterways.
Beneath the Surface - Is your water safe to drink? Is it safe to go into the water? Just how high is that salt water rising from below the surface?
Weathering the Storm - Will strengthening the resilience of our communities against impending storms help mitigate the Insurance Crisis?
Treading Water
We look forward to receiving your suggestions.
WELCOME!
We would again like to welcome our new members who are joining our team daily!
Don’t forget to send in your questions, comments, and pictures of polluted waterways. Your eyes, ears, and instincts are needed!
Thanks for Caring!
May you and your family have a Wonderful Holiday!
Suzee
Suzee Bailey
Founder Residents for Resilience
.
If you are interested in getting more involved with some of the critical issues
with which we are trying so diligently to address
please contact us at:
res4resilience@gmail.com
...and don’t forget to share this information with your family and friends!
