Miami Dade County and Sea Level Rise
Miami- Dade County is located in South East part United States in Florida. It is reported to accommodate a large population making it be one of the most populous counties in Florida (Ruggeri, 2017). With such a huge population and the topography where the county lies, sea level rises pose a huge threat. Sea level rise results with flooding, which is known to not only cause life loss, but also destroy properties that lead to an economic decline. Public planning is the only approach that can help alleviate the challenges faced due to sea level rise. A cohesive plan for managing climate change is significant in managing the issue of sea level rise in Miami Dade County.
Issue
The problem of flooding is mainly caused by water levels rising at a high rate in Dade County. High tides that cause water level incline are due to the swampy locality that the region is established in. Moreover, the barricade that previously helped prevent ocean water from interfering with the cities are not high enough to restrict flooding. Ruggeri (2017) reports that the issue of high tide is common and risks people living in Dade County because sea level rise reaches the doorstep of some families. The issue of flooding can be a challenge to any community. In some locations, floods caught the residents unaware, hence, massive property loss is recorded. Flooding in Dade County poses higher risks as depicted from a loss in financial assets unlike in other coastal cities.
In addition to floods, residents in this county suffer from other extreme events such as high tides which are termed as King tides. With many facilities built on the beach, the challenge of high tide poses a higher risk. Research by the University of Miami stated that after 2006, sea level rose at a higher rate than before and a higher rate than the global rate (Ruggeri, 2017). With such rapid increment in sea water levels, the city of Miami is not well equipped to combat challenges associated with flooding. The water level rise was associated with warming of the planet which was constantly growing. As such, sea levels are becoming unpredictable. Other researchers assert that the melting of the ice in both Greenland and Antarctica attribute sea level rise (Ruggeri, 2017).
The cause of sea level rise cannot be solved by the Miami City administration only, but calls for a global intervention. The only way that Dade County can safeguard its community from sea level rise is through coming up with strategies for preventing property loss in case of floods. The county administration should develop strategies of managing the city in case of such adverse effects of the rise in sea level. Making of public decisions is necessary to develop a strategy for protecting the people and property from damage by the floods. Despite the fact that awareness regarding floods due to sea level rise is highly discussed, it is stull pushed to the end of priority list in the city. Estan Bovo, a chair of Mimi Dade County commission, agrees that sea level is rarely discussed (Ruggeri, 2017). Some of the prioritized issues in the country include how to combat crime, how to invest in traffic and how to invest in public facilities. This shows that outstanding strategic plans which are aimed at applying to improved productivity have not yet been put into practice. To solve the problem of sea level rise in Dade County, the government officials and other stakeholders should come up with a plan for alleviating the issue of floods.
Strategies for Safeguarding Dade County Community from Floods
The office of sustainability situated in Miami Dade works with NOAA Office to organize workshops that aim at enlightening county department representatives on how high sea levels can affect the county (NOAA, 2016). Through these workshops, ideas on how to adapt to these changes are generated hence serving as a primary step in protecting the city from floods. The two offices came up with maps which served as an aid of predicting how sea level rise could affect the city by interaction with salt water intrusion, human infrastructure, emergency facilities, land cover and vital natural features.
Figure 1: An example of a map developed to predict how sea level rise could affect different departments in Miami, Source: NOAA, (2016).
In addition to the maps, statistics, charts, and photographs that prompted each department to consider how sea level rise could impact on the each department were developed to create awareness. Some of the strategies developed from previous workshops include the creation of a centralized location for sharing data hazards and climate vulnerabilities. With a centralized location for research, sea level rise could be foreseen through sharing of data representing hazards hence the city would be well equipped before floods thus saving on the destruction of property (NOAA, 2016). Another strategy developed was to come up with an outreach and educational program aimed at portraying the value of natural areas. Natural areas are connected to climate change hence destruction of such areas may result in climate change. Mangrove forests serve as a barrier for limiting sea level rise going beyond the beaches. However, due to clearance of mangrove forests, natural barriers are absent, leading to the challenges created by climate change. Through this program, the community is educated on the relevance of maintaining natural areas as a way of combating sea level rise.
Coming up and implementing building codes and permits that allow climate adaptive zoning is another strategy developed for safeguarding property within the city (NOAA, 2016). Dade County is established in a swampy region where people drained water to create land for building and indulging in other development activities. As such, the water table is high, hence, tall buildings that are not built in accord to building codes are at a high risk of sinking. It is necessary to adhere to such building codes to avoid property loss. According to Ruggeri (2017), roads built are slightly raised to avoid submerging in case of floods. The final strategy developed from these workshops is to accelerate existing restoration efforts which are aimed at protecting Dade County community for the accelerating sea level rise (Ruggeri, 2017). With the sea levels accelerating rapidly, there is a need for accelerating the restoration efforts as a way of preparing in advance for floods associated with such sea level rise. Although such practices have been discussed and some implemented, there is still a need for engaging in effective public management as a way of preventing challenges associated with the rapid sea rise levels.
Effective Public Management
The issue of floods in Miami Dade County calls for effective management where organizations management should remain effective and simultaneously accountable to the public. With the rapid changing technology where people are more educated, and the workforce is highly trained, effective public management can be easily put into practice (Cohen, Eimicke & Heikkila, 2013). However, there is a need for a globally interconnected economy which aims at solving the challenge of environmental sustainability. With new trends brought about by evolving technology, more opportunities which address challenges in public are raised. Efficient public management is the only ideal way of utilizing these opportunities to tackle challenges faced. Cohen, Eimicke, and Heikkila (2013) posit that it is the role of the government to engage in public management coming up with solutions consented by all parties involved. In an instance where a premise is poorly built against the building codes set, it is the role of the government to submit an alternative premise. However, some functions in governance are best performed if run by a particular party.
Some functions are best run by non-profit organizations, profitable organizations or even government. The organization which best runs the operation should be allowed to organize public management to yield results necessary for the welfare of the public. In some instances, the government faces some challenges not faced by private sectors which are nonprofit organizations. By evaluating such instances, the organization which perfectly manage an issue with fewer challenges should be allowed to proceed in coming up with a public solution (Cohen, Eimicke & Heikkila, 2013). Rather than majoring on the popular perception that the government is incompetent, it is necessary to evaluate the role not played effectively by the government and decide on another party that can work directly or indirectly with the government to solve public issue reported.
Conclusion
The problem of sea level rise which leads to floods in Miami Dade County cannot be solved only by the government. There is a need for intervention by other parties such as proficient business organization and nonprofit organization to come up with public decisions. Based on effective public management, a role not played well by one party can be played well by another. Therefore, by different parties engaging in enacting strategies towards solving the problem of flooding, a succinct plan can be developed. Moreover, the public should be engaged in implementing agreed strategy through effective utilization of public management.
References
Cohen, S., Eimicke, W., & Heikkila, T. (2013). The effective public manager. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.
NOAA. (2016). Adapting to Sea Level Rise in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Coast.noaa.gov. Retrieved from https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/slr-miamidade
Ruggeri, A. (2017). Miami’s fight against rising seas. Bbc.com. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170403-miamis-fight-against-sea-level-rise
