4 June 13-19, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ MIAMI-DADE HOLD YOUR BREATH REPORT: 500K SOUTH FLORIDA HOMES ARE AT RISK OF STORM SURGE. BY ALEX DELUCA M ore than half a million Miami homes face the risk of storm surge flooding this hurricane season, according to a new re- port. At the start of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts could be among the most active ever, analytics company CoreLogic released data showing potential exposure to property damage from hurricane-driven storm surge around the United States. The 2024 Hurricane Risk Landscape report estimates that more than 500,000 homes across the Miami metro area are at risk of storm surge this hurricane season. And the potential cost to rebuild them all? $124 billion. “Storm surge poses a significant threat to coastal cities like Miami and New York, where densely populated areas are situated near the coastline,” the report reads. The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1 and runs through late November. NOAA has forecast anywhere from 17 to 25 named storms (tropical systems with wind speeds of 39 mph or higher) — eight to 13 of which are predicted to become hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes. This Atlantic hurricane season is also ex- pected to have an above-normal West African monsoon, which could develop easterly winds that “seed some of the strongest and longest-lived Atlantic storms.” According to the CoreLogic report, more than 2 million homes in the Miami metro area are at “moderate or greater risk” of exposure to hurricane winds in 2024. The report notes that Southeastern Florida (that’s us!) is the region with the highest prob- ability of a hurricane making landfall in the United States, followed by Harris County in Texas, and Manhattan County in New York. “Miami-Dade and Manhattan counties are heavily exposed to the coast and are suscepti- ble to any storms, especially from a coastal flooding standpoint,” the report notes. “There are a large number of buildings at risk of hurricane damage in all three counties.” Citing NOAA’s historical hurricane track- ing, CoreLogic says that there have been “48 hurricanes (Category 1 or greater) within 60 nautical miles of the Miami-Dade County boundary since the beginning of the twenti- eth century.” As defined by NOAA, a storm surge is “the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm” — in other words, when water from the ocean is pushed ashore by the force of tropical storms or hurricanes. Often the deadliest element of a hurricane, surge wa- ters from strong storms can rise 15 feet or more above the ordinary sea level, envelop- ing streets and buildings in coastal areas. The report found that roughly 7.7 million homes in hurricane-exposed regions in the U.S. are susceptible to storm surge flooding. The devastating impact of a large storm surge was seen during Hurricane Ian, which left cities in Lee and Collier counties in ruins in September 2022. More than 40 people drowned in the coastal floodwaters. Miami-Dade County has identified several surge-planning zones with the potential to see a minimum storm surge of one and a half feet during a hurricane. You can find a map of planning zones here. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that tropical storms and hurricanes can produce a surge regardless of how they rank in terms of wind speed. “Surge can occur before, during, or after the center of a storm passes through an area. Storm surge can sometimes cut off evacuation routes, so do not delay leaving if an evacuation is ordered for your area,” NHC says. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Hurricane Ian tore through Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties on September 28, 2022, producing a historic storm surge that enveloped entire communities and killed more than 40 people. Photo by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA ALL ABOARD! TRI-RAIL LAUNCHES EXPRESS TRAIN FROM WEST PALM TO MIAMI. BY ALEX DELUCA I n another win for South Florida transit, commuters will soon get an affordable express train connecting West Palm Beach and Miami. On July 1, Tri-Rail is set to launch its highly anticipated express route that will serve daily commuters between West Palm, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. The route will offer a “single-seat ride,” eliminating the need for passengers to switch trains at the Metrorail Transfer Station and cutting travel time between West Palm and the Magic City by more than 30 minutes. “We are thrilled to unveil this new enhance- ment to our train service,” said Dave Dech, exec- utive director of South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees Tri- Rail. “By offering a one-seat ride and reducing travel time, we aim to provide an enhanced com- muting experience for our passengers and at- tract new riders to Tri-Rail.” Tri-Rail’s introduction of an express route comes after the privately owned Brightline dis- continued the sale of heavily discounted fre- quent-traveler passes — marking the end of ticket packages popular among commuters throughout South Florida. While a roundtrip journey from Miami to West Palm Beach on the upscale Brightline often costs more than $70, depending on the time and day, a roundtrip via Tri-Rail between the two cities is priced at $17.50. Tri-Rail also offers bargain commuter passes for $110 a month. According to a press release about the new downtown route, the Tri-Rail ex- press train will de- part from the West Palm Beach Station bright and early at 6:30 a.m., with limited stops at the Boca Raton Station, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Inter- national Airport Station at Dania Beach, and the Metrorail Transfer Station, before pulling into MiamiCentral at 8:05 a.m. The return train will depart MiamiCentral at 5:35 p.m. in the evening to bring commuters back up north. Tri-Rail will maintain its current schedule, with 26 trains operating on weekdays and 23 trains on weekends for the non-express route to MiamiCen- tral, which still requires a train switch at the Metro- rail Transfer Station, according to the release. Residents and transit advocates were quick to jump aboard the praise train. “Massive,” one person replied to Tri-Rail’s an- nouncement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “YAAAAS!!! Only operating once a day isn’t great but it’s a start!!” opined another. Tri-Rail, which has 18 stations across South Florida, expanded its service to downtown Mi- ami in January after nearly seven years of delays, in a change that at last connected Tri-Rail riders from Palm Beach County to the heart of the 305. Until earlier this year, commuters coming from Palm Beach and Broward counties, as well as the northernmost communities in Miami- Dade, didn’t have access to a direct, affordable transit line to downtown without transferring from Tri-Rail to a Metrorail car. [email protected] COMMUTERS WILL SOON GET AN AFFORDABLE EXPRESS TRAIN CONNECTING WEST PALM BEACH AND MIAMI. On July 1, Tri-Rail will launch its highly anticipated express route connecting West Palm Beach and Miami. South Florida Regional Transportation Authority photo
