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Preparing for the 2025 Miami Flood
A few years ago, headlines expressing concern over climate change suggested that coastal cities around the world were at risk due to rising ocean waters. Two of these areas of concern included South Florida and the Miami area. In fact, according to the studies, parts of South Florida could be underwater by 2025, which is not too far away at all.
As frightening a concept this is, the best ways to allay your fears are preparation and research. For the Miami area, home and property owners would do well to invest in both flood restoration and flood mitigation services.
Why You Need Flood Restoration Services
The first thing we should talk about is the fact that not all floods are alike. There are a variety of different sources of floodwater that can damage your home or property, as well as different flooding sources. In an area like Miami where conditions are generally humid and moist and there is a lot of water around, you could be at risk of any one of these at any given time.
Here are some of the key different types of flooding that you need to be aware of. In addition, the type of flooding may impact the type of water damage that you see afterward.
River floods
These occur when the water in a river ends up rising above the river banks, causing flooding and damage to the nearby area. River flooding happens for a number of reasons, including thunderstorms for an extended period of time, combined rainfall and snowmelt, and excessive rain from tropical systems.
Storm surge
This is a type of flooding we see commonly with hurricanes and tropical storms. In general, it represents a flood in coastal areas beyond that of a simple high tide, due to a storm’s combination of wind, moisture, and low atmospheric pressure. Examples like Hurricane Katrina show the potential for damage and loss of life that can occur with a storm surge.
Flash flooding
A flash flood generally only occurs over the course of six hours or so, but it can have a pronounced effect in certain areas. These torrents manifest after excessive rainfall and can rush down streets and riverbeds.
Coastal flooding
There’s also one type of flooding that we have yet to mention, mainly because it’s particularly pertinent to Miami and South Florida in general, and that is coastal flooding. Coastal flooding sounds simple enough on paper. The combination of seasonal high tides and storms can push water towards the shore in coastal areas. Areas like Charleston or Savannah deal with this several times a year.
However, part of the concern about coastal flooding today is that rising sea levels mean that coastal flooding can occur even without heavy tides or stormy weather. Any sort of coastal flooding becoming a regularity could pose huge issues for any city, and Miami may be at risk.
Miami and Flood Restoration Services
At this point, let’s focus the lens more on Miami and South Florida specifically, as there are a few unique points and concerns here worth mentioning. Recent studies have shown that out of all the areas in the U.S., Florida has the most to lose in terms of flooding and rising sea levels.
One such study suggested that by 2045, nearly 64,000 homes across the state would be underwater, half of those being in South Florida. There is also a potential economic concern. If owners decide that the property is not worth keeping because of the repeated flooding, the properties may end up becoming abandoned. Being able to mitigate flood damage is essential to Miami in more ways that one.
As we mentioned, coastal flooding naturally occurs due to certain tides, and in the Miami area, those are the King Tides, the year’s largest tides that generally send water rushing through the streets and turn parks into lakes.
However, if we look back to this past year’s King Tides, things were relatively calm. Part of this was simply due to a natural reprieve, with the King Tide bringing in as much as a foot less water inland than usual. However, part of the credit should also be given to smart engineering work across South Florida to help manage the water that did come. To put this in perspective, in 2016, the Kind Tides happened to correlate with a “super moon,” leading floodwaters to fill streets and disrupt traffic.
While 2018 had a relatively harmless King Tide, there’s no guarantee that this will be the case every year. In addition, as sea levels rise in general, there’s a greater chance of the King Tide floods becoming larger and more damaging.
While it’s easy to get swept up by the enormous damage that takes place after a large flood (and the Miami 2025 flood would certainly fall into that category), there are also a lot of examples of more subtle water damage that could make homes and properties potentially unsafe.
For example, even if there wasn’t a giant Miami 2025 flood, there’s also the potential of repeated coastal flooding. This could lead to issues like saltwater mixing with drinking water, deterioration of infrastructure from the corrosive nature of seawater, as well as exposure to pathogens and harmful chemicals from floodwater. It’s important for people living in the area to know how to respond to this potential threat.
Using Technology for Flood Responses
At this point, it’s relatively safe to say that the threat of flooding for Miami and South Florida is not going away any time soon. As a result, it’s important for home and property owners in the area to use whatever means they have in order to stay prepared and protected.
One of the first lines of defense everyone should consider investing in is a flood alarm. There are a lot of flood alarm options out there, but they all have the same basic functionality. Two metal probes are exposed as a part of the alarm. When water touches the two probes, the increased conductivity triggers the alarm, helping you respond quicker.
In general, the more expensive an alarm, the more added features you get. For example, some alarms can measure temperature and humidity to give more accurate readings or additional functionality.
While a flood alarm is something every Miami resident should have in their home, this should only be the beginning of your flood prep. As a start, it’s a good idea to elevate certain appliances like furnaces, water heaters, and the electric panel to higher floors of the house to minimize the chance of flood damage. In fact, a water heater may be a key source of drinkable water if you are stranded in your home temporarily.
Foundation damage is also a major concern with flood damage, so it’s a good idea for people in flood zones to waterproof their basements as much as possible. It’s also important to arm yourself with information. Know what radio and television stations to tune into for flood updates, and have a plan in place in case you need to evacuate.
As a final note, if you are in an area that is a flood risk, you should invest in flood insurance. The majority of homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover damage from floods or other natural disasters, and due to concerns like rising sea levels, areas that weren’t flood zones in the past may now be.
Technology also plays a key role in the general flood restoration workflow, from keeping professionals safe to making it easier and faster to clear some of the effects of water damage. For example, using technology to detect moisture or mold may catch remnants of water damage that aren’t visible to the naked eye. In addition, items like air movers are essential to actually remove the excess moisture and make a flood-damaged home livable again.
The Future of Flood Restoration Services
With this said, this is only the start of technology potentially helping with flood responses and restoration. Assuming these reports of widespread coastal flooding come to pass, entire countries could need full-scale response options in order to keep both people and property protected. The responses here could seem like something out of a sci-fi movie rather than reality, but the same has been said about many modern conveniences we enjoy today.
Here are some of the items you would see addressing flood-related issues.
Flood barriers
This may be cheating a bit, as some areas around the world are already using these to great effect. However, as flooding becomes potentially more common and widespread, you may be seeing larger flood barriers around major areas like Miami soon enough.
Portable workboats
If areas are completely submerged for a while, it may be essential for both rescue and salvage purposes to deploy boats. Perhaps flood restoration companies will be using inflatable boats that are able to set out for a few days, complete with food and water, allowing professionals to do their work safely.
Future restoration equipment
Larger floods, like the potential 2025 Miami flood, will require larger-scale versions of the flood restoration solutions we see every day.Picture a humidifier the size of a trailer, making it possible to clear properties and get people back in their homes in just a fraction of the time.
There are also practical concerns that could affect the future of flood restoration services. In one survey of restoration professionals, the single largest concern was a difficulty in finding skilled labor. This is an issue that could potentially grow even larger in the future, considering that some of the hypothetical technology that we’ve been talking about will require not only expertise to develop, but also training to use effectively.
At the same time, though, the potential increase of flooding will likely mean more work for flood restoration companies. The key will be effectively communicating that these companies are great places to start a career.
Another secondary concern that the restoration professionals brought up was working with TPA (third-party administrators), the professionals they have to interact with when working with insurance companies. This is largely because of a perception that insurance companies are becoming more difficult to work with regarding payment for remediation and restoration work.
In addition, many professionals reported that TPA were demanding more monitoring technology for different services. Perhaps, in the future, flood restoration services will have technology to help them report their work schedule and developments to better satisfy insurance companies.
Using TCR for Flood Restoration Services
For many people in South Florida and coastal areas, dealing with flooding is more and more of a common reality. It’s essential not just to test your home for structural inadequacies, but also take a modern approach to flood restoration to minimize the impact of water damage.
For your flood restoration needs, contact professionals like Total Care Restoration. Not only do we believe in doing the most for our customers in the Miami area, but we’re also:
- 5-star-rated on Yelp
- IICRC-certified
- BBB A+-rated
This means that we have the skills and expertise to provide flood restoration services, not just to help protect your home and valuables, but also to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to mitigating flood effects.
We are experts in:
- Water Damage Restoration
- Fire Damage Restoration
- Mold Remediation
- Roof Tarping
Our customers also trust us to diagnose different issues and repair foundation, leaks, mold infestations, and other side effects of flooding.
Reach out to us today for a free inspection.