What is it?
“King tide” is a popular non-scientific term that people use to describe very high tides, that can cause nuisance flooding on sunny, blue-sky days in low lying areas. They occur a few times per year, typically during a new or full moon and when the moon is closest to Earth. The combination of warm waters off the coast of Florida and the slowing down of the Gulf Stream creates a favorable environment for king tides to occur during the fall season. This year (2020) king tides are expected to occur on the following dates:
What to do? Be aware ahead of time, follow your city and/or local county for the latest information and alerts on upcoming king tide events. You can also visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sea Level Rise Viewer under “High Tide Flooding” and zoom into your neighborhood or areas you frequent to see if they might be affected during king tide. During king tide events follow the below safety tips while you are out and about and to protect your property:
King tides provide a preview on how sea level rise will affect coastal places. The water level reached during a king tides will be the water level reached during an average day on high tide. Sources:
At the turn of the 20th century, Florida was considered our nation’s last frontier. The evidence supported that conclusion, too. Swamplands made travel to South Florida close to impossible and our watery wilderness made growth and development a challenge.
But then came the draining of the marshes south of Lake Okeechobee in the early 1900s. That undertaking provided an excellent landscape for agriculture. In turn, the fertile soil benefited the economy. And by 1920, the state’s population had grown close to 1 million people. The growth was slow, but the building of drainage canals provided navigational access and brought on a land boom of speculators. After the opening of the Flagler railroad, which ran along the state’s entire eastern coast, Florida became accessible and open for tourism. There was no looking back, although nature still played an adversarial role in the state’s growth. Following a series of devastating hurricanes in the 1920s, where over 2,000 lives were lost, the call to manage flood waters and protect lives and property became more urgent. Floridians battled against flood waters alone until 1947. Congress then directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct the Central and Southern Florida Project (CS&F). This project turned out to be one of the most effective water management systems in the world. The CS&F is a combination of levees, gated culverts, and locks encompassing Lake Okeechobee in the north, the coastlines to the west and east, and south to the Florida Keys. Fifty years later, Congress stepped in again as Floridians realized that the efficient water management system had also severely impacted the natural ecosystem as well as Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. Passage of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) made the federal government and the state 50-50 partners in the endeavor. Modern adaptation strategies CERP is a framework for restoring, preserving, and protecting the South Florida ecosystem for the future. Sixty eight CERP project components are currently underway at an estimated cost to taxpayers of over $10 billion. Meanwhile, Florida’s economy still thrives and depends on land development, agriculture, and tourism. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) remains the manager of this water control system, which serves over 8 million people, or more than one-third of the state’s population. However, the water challenge remains relevant. Our coastal cities deal with water quality issues from blue-green algae and red tide to stronger hurricanes and higher sea levels that come through the impact of climate change. The state’s conservative leadership is no longer in denial and understands that the environment is our economy. Florida continues to invest in restoration of the Everglades and water infrastructure improvements and repairs. Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has created an Office of Resilience and appointed a Chief Science Officer to implement adaptive solutions and innovations. They are designed to protect our water, maintain property values, and preserve the tourism industry. One intriguing solution is the creation of a five-member task force that is focused on reducing nutrients in Lake Okeechobee and downstream estuaries. The goal is to come up with recommendations that prevent future outbreaks of toxic algal blooms that devasted Florida’s coasts last year. Regional governments in the southeast part of the state have been collaborating over the past decade to plan to mitigate the causes of climate and plan for higher seas. Our coastal cities are investing in resilient infrastructure and building stronger and higher structures to allow the state to continue to grow and thrive despite our current reality. As a native Floridian and lifelong resident of Miami-Dade County, as well as a former water manager for the SFWMD appointed by Governor Jeb Bush, I know how challenging our water issues have become. I also know that we drained our state’s swamp over 50 years ago with the engineering and knowledge we had at that time to build the state we currently enjoy. I do not subscribe to the “doom and gloom” club that looks at sea level rise projections daily and predicts that Florida’s coastlines are as good as gone. I am optimistic about our future and know that our political and business leaders are acting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and embrace technology and innovation to outpace the threat of rising seas. Florida will again rise above the water and find the solutions to continue growing our economy and protect our citizens' assets and quality of life. Link to the original post written by Irela Bagué for the George W. Bush Presidential Center: https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/articles/2019/5/florida-history-of-environmental-adaptation.html
This year we launched Resilient Forward a podcast to educate the public and promote resilient solutions to Florida’s most challenging environmental issues. We have recorded 7 podcast episodes featuring a variety of guests from different backgrounds and stories of how they are pushing the climate narrative forward.
We are excited to continue with the rest of Season 1 and to keep pushing the innovative resiliency work from businesses, governments, non-profits and individuals. Subscribe and stay up to up to date on the latest Resilient Forward episodes on your favorite platform: iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/resilient-forward/id1439810864?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cC5LSE0JimeV0aV6lXy4e?si=TcQ_gzegT5iIBOb2aLvMng Sticher : https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/resilient-forward Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ifzso4ckjboz73u5jioedefj6d4 SoundCloud : https://soundcloud.com/resilientforward Follow Resilient Forward on Twitter and Facebook. Our top South Florida 100 opinions in 2018 February 18, 2018
Marjory Stoneman Shooting / Infrastructure Plan https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/965278822009622529/photo/1 May 20, 2018 Sea Level Rise Construction Pauses https://twitter.com/SoFlaOpinion/status/998183004060217345 June 3, 2018 Hurricane Season/ Antiquities Act https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1003283146115309568/photo/1 June 24, 2018 US Constitution / Child Immigrants at Borders https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1010913168124674048/photo/1 August 12, 2018 New Normal of Climate Change / Kendall Parkway https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1028647303962402824/photo/1 September 16, 2018 Peak of Hurricane Season / Everglades Restoration Tracking https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1041332023313551360/photo/1 December 9, 2018 George H.W. Bush https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1071838045811433472/photo/1 December 23, 2018 Florida’s Focus: Water, Sea Level Rise and Hurricanes https://twitter.com/IrelaBague/status/1077016109726003201/photo/1 As residents affected by Hurricane Michael start their rebuilding process, here are several ways to provide help or support them.
Financial help provides aid to the most people in the fastest and most efficient manner. The Florida Disaster Fund has been activated by Gov. Rick Scott and is approved by the State of Florida. Click here to donate: https://www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/ The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are both widely recognizable relief organizations and welcome support. Contributions can be made specifically for Hurricane Michael relief through each organization’s website: Red Cross Hurricane Michael Donations Salvation Army Hurricane Michael Donation If you are available, consider volunteering in your community or communities around the state that need it most, you can volunteer through Volunteer Florida here. If you would like to find a different organization in the state of Florida to work through, visit the Florida Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (FLVOAD). You can also check out Charity Navigator, they provide ratings for charity organizations and they have also compiled a list of organizations that are providing aid for Hurricane Michael, view the list here. Their list provides animal, general aid, housing and food charities. |