Just got back from Miami Beach and saw something scary on Collins Avenue

I was walking around the southern end of Miami Beach last Tuesday and noticed about 6 blocks of new flood barriers going in. They are these big metal panels that fold up from the sidewalk, I counted maybe 30 of them just on one street. A local contractor told me they're expecting another 18 inches of sea rise by 2035, which is like 10 years away. He said the city spent around $500 million on pumps and barriers already, but most people don't realize how fast the groundwater is coming up. Have any of you seen these barriers in person or heard about similar stuff happening in your coastal town?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_king25d ago

I used to roll my eyes at all the climate talk honestly, like people just exaggerating everything. But my cousin lives down there and she sent me a video of water bubbling up through a storm drain on a sunny day, no rain for a week. That $500 million number really hit me, they wouldn't drop that kind of cash if it wasn't already happening.

amybarnes25d ago

Diana that bubbling water thing is wild but I get it. My neighbor back home in Charleston had the same thing happen in their backyard last spring. Three days of dry weather and there was a little pond forming where the grass used to be. The city put in these giant pumps near the battery wall and they run almost every high tide now. Its scary how fast its all happening right in front of us.