R4R JUNE NEWSLETTER
Advocating for Resilience
through
EDUCATION - COMMUNICATION - ADVOCATION - COLLABORATION
Good morning to all, and with a bit of hesitancy I say,
Welcome Summer!
Excessive heat warnings are all over the news, not just on land but also at sea, with predictions of an extensive hurricane season due to extremely warm ocean water temperatures. If you haven’t done so already, check out our hurricane checklist on our website or below for some important reminders on emergency preparedness.
Enjoy these lazy days of summer, but if a heat advisory is issued, take measures to avoid heat illness. (SEE BELOW) Precautions need to be taken seriously for both you and your pets. Record-breaking heat can not only make you seriously
ill but can sometimes be fatal.
IS OUR DRINKING WATER SAFE?
R4R has been receiving many emails from our members who are worried about the safety of their drinking water, especially after the city was forced to shut down the Peele-Dixie Water Treatment Plant, due to a damaged raw water pipeline. Even though the line has been repaired and the plant is back online, many residents have been voicing their apprehensions on social media about the color and smell of their drinking water. Additional drinking water concerns include contaminants like PFAS, arsenic, and phthalates. Some experts are recommending Reverse Osmosis systems. If you’re considering taking steps to safeguard you and your family, check out the research we have found on home drinking water filtration systems and showerhead carbon filters on our website.
“It’s Hard To Care About What You Don’t Know About"
IS YOUR HOME OR NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENT TO
FLOODING AND STORM SURGE?
Tricia Halliday and I had an interesting conversation with Adrian Santiago Tate from HighTide.ai. We mentioned Adrian and his company’s site, Arkly.com, which offers a tool for residents to check their current and potential flood risks in their neighborhood, in our last newsletter. Impressed by the flood risk platform they provide for Florida; we requested a brief Zoom meeting to find out more.
During that meeting, we discussed nature-based solutions, elevating homes, and resilient decisions homeowners and cities may need to make. We also learned about a very important role in evaluating flood-prone areas throughout the city -
the Floodplain Manager.
The Floodplain Manager is the Coordinator of the Community Rating System (CRS) under FEMA, a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices exceeding the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This rating system not only educates homeowners about the flood risks in their areas but also helps mitigate rising insurance costs.
Fort Lauderdale’s last current effective date was 10/1/20, and it was rated Class 7. Surprisingly, our city was rated the same as the entire state of California! A Class 7 rating only provides a 15% discount on your insurance. According to Adrian, Fort Lauderdale should probably be a Class 5, which would provide a 25% discount. Pinellas County is rated Class 3, giving them a 35% discount.
I spoke with newly hired City of Fort Lauderdale Community Rating System Coordinator,
Mark Hagerty, who is a 40 year veteran of the construction industry specializing in floodplain management since 1993. Mark was among the first in the State to obtain the CFM certification in 2001. His floodplain management career began with the City of North Miami where he was an integral part of the floodplain program until his retirement in 2013.
The objective of floodplain management planning is to develop an overall strategy of programs, projects, and measures that will reduce the adverse impact of the flood hazard on the community. The City of Fort Lauderdale is currently in the process of preparing and implementing plans that are recognized by Activity 510 of the Community Rating System
Mark confirmed that our city is rated a Class 7 but is working diligently on lowering that rating to a Class 4 or 5 which would really improve insurance discounts. We are fortunate to have his expert leadership in this important endeavor and look forward to his participation in one of our up-coming Water-Logged events.
Don’t forget to check out Arkly.com.
FORT LAUDERDALE WATERWAY RESTORATION UPDATE
The Miami Waterkeeper waterway quality monitoring program has provided test results over the past few years showing alarmingly high levels of bacteria in many canals and rivers throughout Fort Lauderdale. This is a safety issue for everyone who enjoys these marine waters. Professional fishermen are also sharing disturbing stories about what they are witnessing on our waterways, including the decline in marine life.
For the safety and welfare of all who live, work, and play on our priceless waterways, R4R’s primary focus at this time is restoring their health and vitality. We are collaborating with top marine specialists, local universities, the City of Fort Lauderdale, and our residents to propose educational waterway restoration pilot projects. These projects will test suggested solutions to begin the much-needed remediation of our marine waters. The University of Miami has kick-started this initiative by offering a substantial NOAA grant that, if matched by our city, will initiate this educational restoration effort with their SEAHIVE marine and estuarine shoreline protection system.
Enhancing these artificial hybrid structures with living additions such as oysters and mangroves can help create healthy reefs right off our cement and steel seawalls, especially since much of those living enhancements, including barnacles, have been removed by either cleaning or replacement of seawalls. Those little filtering friends not only help clean our waterways, but also help dissipate wave energy and
encourage a healthy marine ecosystem.
If our city doesn’t choose to match this 1 to 1 cost share offer, University of Miami will be forced to bring their remediation solution project to one of our neighboring cities. Three SEAHIVE projects are currently under permitting across South Florida; a green engineering seawall alternative in North Bay Village, a seawall/mangrove planter in Pompano Beach, and a hybrid coral reef
offshore of Miami Beach.
Other proposed Fort Lauderdale remediation pilot projects for include enhanced Mangrove-Reef Seawall Panels, possibly at Annie Beck Park, and biochar socks and buoys for the Himmarshee Canal. We also aim to get a million oysters back into our waterways along with an
Educational Floating Marine Water Research Lab.
Once these projects get funding and approval, they will provide the needed data to speed up the permitting process, allowing these waterway remediation efforts to be offered to the private sector. Since much of Fort Lauderdale’s shoreline consists of privately owned cement and steel seawalls, involving the private sector is crucial to making a significant impact and hopefully making these waterways swimmable again! Find out more about these proposed projects at our upcoming Water-Logged events! Dates, times, and locations will be announced soon!
LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD!
Again I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all the new members
who are joining our R4R team from all throughout the state!
We invite you to share our newsletter with your friends and family.
If you are passionate about advocating for critical water issues, please let us know. Committees are currently being established, and we welcome your ideas and input or any featured water resiliency story you would like to share.
Warm Regards,
Suzee
.
contact us at:
res4resilience@gmail.com
