As parts of Miami-Dade have seen more than a foot of rain thanks to multiple days of heavy rainfall and flood watches, the plan to protect the city from storm surges — which has been in discussion for half a decade — is closer to becoming reality. Miami-Dade County officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are finalizing the $2.7 billion initiative before it heads to Congress for approval and funding within the year.
According to Bisnow, the plan is focused on three pillars: multiple lines of defense, adaptive management and integration. It proposes to elevate approximately 1,200 homes and renovate around 400 commercial buildings in what planners identified as high-risk flood and financially vulnerable areas. Those include the northern and southern parts of Miami Beach, Little River, buildings along the Miami River west of Brickell and Downtown, North Miami and Cutler Bay.
Additionally, the plan includes dry floodproofing 27 critical infrastructure facilities outside of focus areas, such as fire and police stations, schools, shelters and more.
Notably, the $2.7 billion allocates $1.5 billion for construction, $214 million for engineering and design, $205 million for construction management and $165 million to acquire real estate. The Army Corps recommend using $200 million on nonstructural solutions for commercial buildings, with $170 million of that amount going towards floodproofing multi-family properties and $30 million to identifying solutions for hospitals.
The plan also calls for the development of an $180 million pilot program to explore nature-based solutions to counteract surges, such as utilizing natural barriers like mangrove forests and expanded wetlands. This comes after a previously Corps proposal to build a towering flood wall, which drew public criticism.
What are the benefits of this plan?
The Army Corps estimates that Miami could experience a $1.2 billion reduction in storm surge damage over 50 years. With no intervention, impacted properties would see $1.7 billion in damage, while the proposed upgrades would reduce storm-related impacts to $518 million.
What’s next for the storm surge protection plan?
The plan is set to be sent to Congress for approval. It could take at least two years to be implemented, with the earliest time for the pre-construction phase expected to start in 2026. Construction would be completed by 2034.
Learn more about the plan on the Army Corps website.