The city of Miami is taking proactive measures in preparation for flooding during the peak of King Tide season.
King Tide -- a non-scientific term used to describe exceptionally high tides -- began Saturday and is expected to last until Friday, Oct. 13, with the peak occurring Tuesday and Wednesday.
The city's Department of Resilience and Public Works has installed tidal dams, pipes and valves, and is also using drones to collect information on flood-prone areas.
“What we’re doing is essentially creating a system with valves in it that will allow water to come in but it won’t allow water to keep going," said Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez. "The valves will stop the water. It’s about 10 feet of pipe and it will stop the water from flooding the neighborhood.”
These improvements were mostly focused on the Shorecrest and Fairview neighborhoods — but coastal and low lying areas across Miami-Dade, parts of Broward and the Florida Keys will see rising water levels.
“We’ve identified another 40 that I think we could address in the near term using our forever bonds, but overall in the city, we’ve identified almost 300 areas that we think would be susceptible to any kind of climate change or rising tide," Gonzalez said.
As for Miami Beach, the city has 42 temporary pumps stationed across the city to try and flush out the water.
Meanwhile, red tide also a concern. While most levels were low to very low last week, there are concerns that coupled with King Tide, floods could bring that alga onshore.
City officials remind residents to not drive through floodwater as it may be deeper than it appears. Residents should not also enter or allow children to play in floodwater, as it may contain unseen hazards such as trash or pollutants.
