Salt water splashed several inches deep in front of high-rise condo buildings on North New River Drive in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.
King tides struck just before noon, forcing people to find high ground.
“That is something that is present and you see it more often and personally in your house and your neighborhood,” said Gonzalo Vazquez, who lives nearby.
Water topped the sea wall at Esplanade Park, another spot prone to flooding when king tides arrive in the latter months of the year.
“During a king tide period, we can see that the high tide might be two feet higher than a typical high tide,” said Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer for Broward County.
Mitigating risks that come with any flooding is what Jurado has made her life’s work. She says a requirement in 2017 that all newly constructed or renovated seawalls had to be at an elevation of five feet goes a long way in keeping water out of the urban environment.
But with king tides, even that height is being tested.
“There’s a lot of planning underway at both the county and the city levels with regards to manage the water that does get into the urban environment,” Jurado said. “With new pumps, additional storage areas, culverts for conveyance and opportunities to install valves within systems that keep water below ground from moving too far inland.”
Making sure there is green space for water to drain into around your home is an important step you can take to be part of the solution. Stopping flood water, whether it’s high tide, rainfall or storm-related, is a challenge that will remain for Florida’s foreseeable future.
“I think we’re looking at decades of incremental investment, combined strategies for keeping water out of the community, creating opportunities for more active movement of water at the same time,” Jurado.
Jurado suggests residents keep the city and county public works departments aware of any changes to the water level on their properties during high tides.