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When it comes to climate change, one thing is certain: our oceans are rising. And South Florida is expected to be among the first regions on Earth to experience the impact. In fact, some initial preparations are already underway. WLRN-Miami Herald News presents a series of stories about the effects of sea-level rise. The project is called “Elevation Zero: Rising Seas In South Florida." Click through the pages below to see our entire archive of Elevation Zero stories.

Florida Gets Bad Grade On Climate Change Risk Preparedness

David Burdick / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

A new study released on Wednesday says the Sunshine state needs to do its homework to prepare for weather threats linked to climate change.

It gave Florida an overall C- grade in climate change preparedness.

The study by ICF International and Climate Central is the first assessment of its kind that evaluates how local governments in the U.S. face their climate change threats.

These threats were divided into five categories: extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding and coastal flooding. “Florida is one of only six states nationwide to face significant increasing threats in all five categories,” said a States At Risk press release. 

The results of this study were shared on Wednesday by local climate change researchers at Florida Atlantic University.

“From just based in our region, [the priority] would be coastal flooding, the sea-level rise impact,” says Natalie Schneider, Palm Beach County’s Climate Change and Sustainability Coordinator. “That’s going to be the thing that we really see an impact on from Palm Beach County all the way down to Monroe.”

Natalie Schneider, Palm Beach County's Climate Change and Sustainability Coordinator.
Credit Alyssa Méndez Batista
Natalie Schneider, Palm Beach County's Climate Change and Sustainability Coordinator.

Schneider says the county commission adopted on Tuesday the Unified Sea Level Rise Projection for Southeast Florida. The document contains sea-level rise data gathered from different government agencies that will be used to predict sea rise patterns and for ratifying future county legislation. 

For Chris Bergh, conservation director of Nature Conservancy South Florida, coastal and inland flooding is an important area of concern: “The fact that we already face significant risks from coastal storms, hurricanes and that the sea is rising at an increasingly rapid pace, make it imperative that we determine what we’re going to do, what it’s going to cost, and how are we going to begin to take action.”

Chris Bergh, Nature Conservancy’s South Florida Conservation Director.
Credit Alyssa Méndez Batista
Chris Bergh, Nature Conservancy’s South Florida Conservation Director.

Leonard Berry, emeritus professor of geosciences at Florida Atlantic University, said South Florida needs to change the way it manages water in the long-run.

"Older communities," he added, "both in age and in structure, are the most vulnerable” to inland flooding because they have an outdated water drainage system from 50 years ago.

Bergh, Schneider and Berry agree that government at the state and federal level should work more closely with counties across Florida to better address these issues. 

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