Floods

A cadre of engineers and planners who design America’s roads, bridges, hospitals and other critical infrastructure fear that an emerging tool that would replace the nation’s out-of-date rainfall and flood data is on the Trump Administration chopping block.The new tool, Atlas 15, uses modernized rainfall data to allow engineers to design and build infrastructure to withstand flooding for decades to come as extreme rainfall predictably worsens.Without it, the engineers and planners say, they would be forced to rely on old data that understate flood risks and put infrastructure in harm’s way.

Punta Gorda on the south side of Charlotte Harbor is preparing for hurricane season. Some residents still are dealing with homes that were flooded by Hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall. A few owners are elevating homes, while others are tearing them down to build back newer and higher.

It's actually called Vibrio vulnificus, and a range of peer-reviewed academic papers are reporting the infectious and deadly bacteria is prevalent on Southwest Florida beaches due to climate change, warming oceans, and its endemic population. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

A federal judge has rejected a request by Florida and other states for a preliminary injunction to block changes to the National Flood Insurance Program that have led to higher premiums for many property owners — though he ruled that a broader legal battle can continue.U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion, who is based in New Orleans, issued a 56-page ruling last week that pointed to potential problems if he issued an injunction against a risk-rating system that began taking effect in 2021 and was fully in place in April 2023.

A storm system should arrive to the state on Sunday. Multiple rounds of heavy rain could lead to local flash flooding. Isolated strong wind gusts and brief tornadoes are possible too.

Complaints of new development worsening flooding in surrounding areas are common across South Florida, and floodplain experts say it underlines a problem with perhaps the leading strategy for coping with flooding driven by climate change.

In the immediate aftermath of a storm, the race is on to clear roads, collect debris, restore power and deliver food and water. But the window to prevent mold from growing in your home is tight, as short as a day, until the inhabitants in that home are at risk of invasive mold diseases (IMD).

On the South Florida Roundup, we spoke about Florida's balancing act between building in vulnerable areas and protecting established developments. Will South Florida and the rest of the state see a shift in the wake of Ian?

A plume of moisture with tropical origins will arrive in Florida by the end of the week and could produce localized flooding.