Adopt 2025 Miami-Dade County Local Mitigation Strategy

RESOLUTION NO. 2025-________ A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE OF PINECREST, FLORIDA, ADOPTING THE 2025 MIAMI-DADE COUNTY LOCAL MITIGATION STRATEGY; PROVIDING FOR AUTHORIZATION; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded a National initiative to help communities develop Local Mitigation Strategies (“LMS”) that identify projects and funding sources to mitigate the effects of natural disasters; and WHEREAS, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (“FDEM”) entered into an agreement with Miami-Dade County (“County”) to provide the funding for the County to develop an LMS Plan with local municipalities to become a component of the state-wide Mitigation Strategy; and WHEREAS, the County entered into agreements with local municipalities to establish a unified process for developing the LMS Plan and convey funds for participation in LMS Plan development; and WHEREAS, the LMS meets the FDEM contract requirements and was accomplished with the participation of local governments, the County Public School Board, and a broad range of private not-for-profit agencies, businesses, and universities coordinated by the County Office of Emergency Management; and WHEREAS, the Village of Pinecrest (the “Village”) wishes to participate and adopt the County’s 2025 LMS, a copy of which is on file with the Office of the Village Clerk and attached hereto as Exhibit “A”; and WHEREAS, the Village’s Stormwater Master Plan has identified stormwater management improvement projects for the County’s 2025 LMS; and Page 2 of 3 WHEREAS, the Village Council finds it to be in the best interest of the public, health, safety, and welfare of the citizens to adopt this Resolution amending the Village’s Code.

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF PINECREST, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Recitals. The above recitals are hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference. Section 2. Adoption. The Village Council hereby adopts the County’s 2025 LMS, a copy of which is on file with the Office of the Village Clerk and attached hereto as Exhibit “A”. Section 3. Authorization. The Mayor or Mayor's designee is hereby authorized to execute all necessary documents to effectuate the adoption of the County’s 2025 LMS, subject to the approval of the Village Attorney as to form, content, and legal sufficiency. Section 4. Effective Date. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED this __ day of _____, 2025. Joseph M. Corradino, Mayor ATTEST: Priscilla Torres, MMC Village Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY: Mitchell Bierman Village Attorney Consent Agenda Page 3 of 3 EXHIBIT A MIAMI-DADE COUNTY LOCAL MITIGATION STRATEGY PLAN 2025 September 2025 P1-1 September 2025 P1-1 This page left intentionally blank. September 2025 P1-2 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 HOW TO USE THIS PLAN .................................................................................................................................. 4 LMS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE .................................................................................5 LMS CHAIR .................................................................................................................................................... 5 LMS CO-CHAIR .............................................................................................................................................. 5 LMS STEERING COMMITTEE ............................................................................................................................ 6 LMS WORKING GROUP ................................................................................................................................... 6 Municipal Participation ..................................................................................................................... 7 LMS SUBCOMMITTEES .................................................................................................................................... 7 MEETINGS ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 PLANNING PROCESS .................................................................................................................8 ANNUAL UPDATES .......................................................................................................................................... 8 FIVE-YEAR UPDATE ......................................................................................................................................... 8 2025 LMS Update Management Plan (LMS-PUMP) ....................................................................... 9 REVIEW AND REVISION CRITERIA ................................................................................................................... 13 INCORPORATION OF EXISTING PLANS AND STRATEGIES .................................................................................. 14 PLAN ADOPTION ........................................................................................................................................... 15 POLICIES, ORDINANCES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING MITIGATION ...................16 FEDERAL ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 STATE .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 COUNTY ........................................................................................................................................................ 18 County Programs ........................................................................................................................... 19 MUNICIPALITIES ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Municipal Agencies and their Mitigation Functions ........................................................................ 22 MITIGATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................24 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION & VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT .................................28 RATIONALE FOR INCLUSION OR OMISSION OF HAZARDS IN LMS ...................................................................... 29 IMPACTS OF FUTURE CHANGES IN POPULATION AND LAND USE ...................................................................... 45 NATURAL HAZARDS BY JURISDICTION ............................................................................................................ 51 DROUGHT ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 EROSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 61 FLOODING ..................................................................................................................................................... 70 HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS ............................................................................................................ 91 SALTWATER INTRUSION ............................................................................................................................... 106 SEA LEVEL RISE ......................................................................................................................................... 116 SEVERE STORM .......................................................................................................................................... 134 TORNADO ................................................................................................................................................... 143 WILDFIRE .................................................................................................................................................... 151 COLD WAVE................................................................................................................................................ 159 EXTREME HEAT ........................................................................................................................................... 166 EPIDEMIC/PANDEMIC ................................................................................................................................... 177 DATA SOURCES .......................................................................................................................................... 185 September 2025 P1-3 INTRODUCTION The Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a comprehensive plan designed to reduce the community’s long-term vulnerability to disasters. This plan forms the foundation of Miami- Dade County’s approach to mitigation initiatives and establishes the county’s eligibility for Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) funding. The mitigation objectives and goals deter- mined in this plan are informed by an assessment of the hazards unique to Miami-Dade County. As a living document, the LMS Plan is revised to integrate necessary changes identified by whole community partners under the direction of Miami-Dade County De- partment of Emergency Management (DEM). This plan was published on the DEM website for public review and feedback received was integrated prior to submission to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) for approval. The LMS Plan was presented to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners (BCC) for adoption in 2025. A review of the changes that have been made to the LMS since its last adoption in 2020 is provided in Part 4: Appendix A. Purpose The purpose of the LMS is to develop a comprehensive approach to effectively reduce the impact of current and future hazards and risks faced by local communities within Mi- ami-Dade County. 1 The LMS accomplishes this through the following measures: • A planning process that encourages whole community participation and input; • Review and incorporation of community plans, local, state and federal regulations and guidance, studies, reports and technical information; • Overview of past and present occurrences and projected future hazard events; • Linkage of mitigation measures and actions to the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA); • Identification of measures and actions as LMS Projects are accomplished, are planned for implementation, or identified as potential or future initiatives; • Identification of potential or actual funding sources; • Integration of GIS to provide maps to illustrate hazard and risk areas, consequence analysis and mitigation measures; • Annual reviews and updates; • Regular meetings, informational messaging, trainings and workshops to engage the mitigation participants; • An identified process for monitoring the overall progress of mitigation strategies and documentation of completed initiatives. 1 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.1 September 2025 P1-4 This strategy will continuously evolve to address current and future risk and vulnerability. How to Use This Plan The LMS is divided into five (5) parts: Part 1 – The Strategy (LMS-Part 1) – Provides an overview of the LMS and identifies how the plan is implemented, updated, and informed by legal authorities. This part sets forth the goals and objectives for mitigation actions. It also includes the hazards assess- ment along with rationale for inclusion or omission of hazards in our strategy and infor- mation about varying jurisdictional vulnerabilities. Part 2 – The Projects (LMS-Part 2) – Contains the methodology for how mitigation pro- jects are submitted, prioritized,2 and tracked. Also includes the list of projects identified by the LMS Working Group members for mitigation actions that are planned, in progress, or completed. This part also highlights case studies of projects completed within the last four years. Part 3 – Funding (LMS-Part 3) – Identifies potential funding sources for mitigation pro- jects. Part 4 – Appendices (LMS-Part 4) – This section contains a number of supportive doc- uments including: • List of Updates made to the plan since the last adoption • List of LMS members including Steering Committee, Working Group and Subcom- mittees • Miami-Dade Resolution Adopting the LMS • State Letter approving the LMS • FEMA Letter approving the LMS • Local Charter information for the Metropolitan form of Government • Integration Document • Municipal Integration of the LMS • Community and Economic Profile Part 5 – Flooding NFIP & CRS (LMS-Part 5) – Contains information specific to flood management plans and identifies activities and information in support of the CRS pro- gram. 2 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.3 September 2025 P1-5 LMS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The LMS is a compilation of initiatives that are identified and supported by the LMS Chair, LMS Co-Chair, the Steering Committee (LMSSC), the Working Group (LMSWG), sub- committees and ultimately adopted by local governing bodies. A complete list of the par- ticipants of the LMS are listed in LMS-Part 4 Appendices B and C. LMS Chair The Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) Mitigation Plan- ner serves as the LMS Chair. The LMS Chair is responsible for updating and maintaining the LMS Plan, coordinating meetings and trainings, reviewing and archiving LMS projects, and disseminating information pertinent to the mitigation goals and objectives set forth in the LMS. The LMS Chair also serves as the LMSSC Chair. This involves scheduling and presiding over the LMS meetings. The LMS Chair participates in workshops, trainings, and confer- ences throughout the year to benefit the LMS. Additionally, the LMS Chair maintains a distribution list of individuals interested in mitigation and is responsible for the website updates. LMS Co-Chair The LMS Co-Chair is an appointed position by the LMS Chair and assists the LMS Chair with administrative responsibilities, LMS plan updates, and mitigation initiatives as well as providing consultation to the LMS Chair. The LMS Co-Chair is also responsible to stand in for the LMS Chair in case of any unforeseen absences. September 2025 P1-6 LMS Steering Committee The LMSSC acts as a “Board-of-Directors” and is responsible for the development of policy guidance. Members of the LMSSC are representative of the organizations found within the larger Working Group (i.e. municipal, county, educational, not-for-profits, pri- vate sectors and individuals). The LMSSC acts as a review committee for the establish- ment of this LMS and the prioritization of the projects therein when a limited funding source is available. Membership on any committee shall be voluntary and subject to the review and approval of the LMSWG. A committee member who fails to attend a reason- able number of committee meetings may be dropped from participation in the committee by a majority vote of the other members of that committee. Any planning and program development matters are addressed as needed in LMSSC meetings and open forums in the LMS quarterly meetings. LMS Working Group The LMSWG is composed of representatives from eight main groups: • Municipalities • County Departments • Colleges and Universities • Hospitals and Health Care • Private Non-Profits • Private Sector/Businesses • Regional, State and Federal Partners • Other Stakeholders, including private citizens The makeup of the LMSWG is not limited to any organization or jurisdiction. Numerous others have expressed the desire to participate in the LMS and are welcome to do so. Each organization is encouraged to solicit participation and commentary from its citizens, employees, and members.3 To be considered a participant of the LMS and receive the benefits thereof, a municipality, County Department or any other organization must attend at least two (2) of the last four (4) quarterly meetings held. The agencies that are participating in the LMSWG are iden- tified in Part 4 Appendix B. 3 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.4.1(2) September 2025 P1-7 Municipal Participation Within Miami-Dade County the following municipalities are active participants of the LMS Working Group. City of Aventura City of Homestead City of Opa-locka Bal Harbour Village Village of Key Biscayne Village of Palmetto Bay Town of Bay Harbor Islands Town of Medley Village of Pinecrest Village of Biscayne Park City of Miami City of South Miami City of Coral Gables City of Miami Beach City of Sunny Isles Beach Town of Cutler Bay City of Miami Gardens Town of Surfside City of Doral Town of Miami Lakes City of Sweetwater Village of El Portal Miami Shores Village Village of Virginia Gardens Florida City City of Miami Springs City of West Miami Town of Golden Beach City of North Miami Indian Creek Village City of Hialeah Gardens North Bay Village Miami-Dade County (unin- corporated areas) City of Hialeah City of North Miami Beach For the remainder of this document municipalities will be referred to by only the name and not the full title (e.g. City of Coral Gables will be referred to as Coral Gables). LMS Subcommittees To streamline the LMSWG’s activities, various subcommittees may be formed as needed to address an area of concern. The formation and disbandment of subcommittees is done in correlation with trending issues that are addressed by the LMSWG members. A list of possible subcommittees can be found in Part 4 Appendix C. Meetings The LMSWG meets once each calendar quarter and the LMSSC and LMS Subcommit- tees meet as needed. Meeting announcements are posted on the LMS webpage, and emails are sent to the LMS Distribution List which is maintained by the LMS Chair and Co-Chair. The representatives are encouraged to notify the public or other interested parties about meeting dates at least 30-days prior to each meeting. Meeting times, dates and locations will be posted on the LMS website: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/emergency/local- mitigation-strategy.page Meeting notes and attendance records are kept by the LMS Chair and Co-Chair and are available upon request. September 2025 P1-8 PLANNING PROCESS4 The LMS Chair with the assistance of the LMS Steering Committee, and input from the LMSWG, LMS subcommittees, and the public, updates and maintains this plan. Updates are based on factors such as recent disaster events, changes in Local, State, and Federal policies, emerging issues such as aging infrastructure, and new development projects that impact Miami-Dade County communities. The LMS Chair includes a listing of the revisions made to this plan in relation to these factors, which is documented in the Part 4 Appendix A: List of LMS Changes. Annual Updates The LMS is updated on an annual basis. These updates are based on reviews from the LMS Chair and input from partners regarding the effectiveness of the plan in reducing the County’s vulnerability to hazards and in achieving LMS goals. Any proposed changes are reviewed for integration with the LMS and Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) crosswalks provided by FDEM, the Emergency Management Accreditation Pro- gram (EMAP) Standards, the Community Rating System (CRS) Coordinator’s Manual, and the Threat Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). An annual update to the LMS is provided to the State by the last working day of January and the documents are subsequently posted on the Miami-Dade County website. Five-Year Update A complete State and Federal review and approval of this plan is conducted on a five- year cycle. The plan has undergone review and approval from FDEM with delegated authority from FEMA every five (5) years since 2000. The five-year review process incor- porates the annual updates and a review of the FDEM LMS Crosswalk. FDEM notifies the LMS Chair 12-months in advance of the plan expiration date. The LMS Plan is up- dated and prepared at least eight (8) months prior to its expiration for public review and comments on the plan. Once all comments are reviewed and incorporated, the updated LMS will be submitted to FDEM by the LMS Chair for review no later than six (6) months prior to its expiration date. FDEM will review the LMS Plan and provide comments, and if needed, the LMS Chair will make revisions to satisfy any State LMS Crosswalk deficiencies. Once the plan has been approved pending adoption by the State, individual jurisdictions and agencies must adopt the plan and provide the resolutions adopting the plan to the LMS Chair so that they may be forwarded to the State and FEMA to receive approved status. 4 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.1.(2) September 2025 P1-9 2025 LMS Update Management Plan (LMS-PUMP) The planning process for the 5-year update for the LMS began at the December 14, 2023 Quarterly Meeting. At this meeting the LMS Chair presented and dis- cussed the LMS Planning Update Management Plan (LMS-PUMP). This plan in- cluded the schedule for updating the LMS, the information that would be re- quested, the schedule for meetings and workshops that would discuss various el- ements of the plan and the expected roles and responsibilities of the entities in- volved in the update process. In the LMS-PUMP, the following major milestones of the update process were pre- sented: The roles and responsibilities of the entities involved in the update process are as follows: LMS Chair Responsible for the overall update process. This includes: • Ensures that the new plan meets all the policy requirements for a FEMA approved plan • Provides the LMSWG with a process to update the plan and organizes all the required meetings and discussions • Documents the meetings, discussions and updates of the plan • Directs the meetings and discussions • Implements the approval process LMSSC • Participate in all PUC meetings and quarterly LMS meetings • Reviews plan and provides recommendations for plan updates • Review draft edits to plan volumes, and approve changes September 2025 P1-10 Plan Update Committee (PUC) • Participates in the PUC meetings and drafts initial edits to the plan elements • PUC members may attend all or a selection of the PUC meetings based on expertise and areas of interest LMSWG • Participate in all PUC meetings and quarterly LMS meetings • Reviews plan and provides recommendations for plan updates • Review draft edits to plan volumes, and approve changes Jurisdictions, Special Taxing Districts and Agencies with Boards • Must provide updates regarding how they implement the mitigation plan in their own planning efforts • Must submit the approved plan for adoption by their boards and councils Florida Division of Emergency Management • Provides support regarding policy, guidance and procedures regarding the development of hazard mitigation plans and their updates • Reviews and approves hazard mitigation plans through their 5-year cycle updates • Provides training regarding policy, guidance and procedures regarding the development of hazard mitigation plans and the approval process • Coordinates the review and approval process between FEMA and local gov- ernments The LMS-PUMP describes the major elements of the LMS Plan that require dis- cussion, collaboration, and input from the community to be updated. These ele- ments require discussion within the Plan Update Committee (PUC) meetings. The PUC is composed of the LMS Steering Committee (LMSSC) and any LMSWG committee members that volunteer to join each individual PUC meeting. For a complete list of all the LMS Working Group members that were invited to these planning meetings, refer to Appendix B. The LMS-PUMP also states that FEMA policy requires participating jurisdictions to be part of the development of the haz- ard mitigation plan to receive FEMA approval and the benefits of that approval. The following table describes the plan elements and the parties involved in their update: Plan Element Collaboration needed Responsible Parties (Part 1 – The Strategy) Policies, Ordinances and Programs Affecting Mitiga- tion Agencies need to pro- vide updates regard- ing how the plan is im- plemented locally in their own planning processes Jurisdictions, Special Taxing Dis- tricts and Agencies with Boards September 2025 P1-11 Plan Element Collaboration needed Responsible Parties (Part 1 – The Strategy) Analysis of all Hazards from THIRA Hazards from the most recently updated THIRA need to be re- viewed to determine consideration in the LMS PUC will review section in ad- vance of working meetings, and provide written edits to LMS Chair LMSWG will provide input and consensus of Hazards during quarterly meetings (Part 1 – The Strategy) Mit- igation Goals and Objec- tives Mitigation goals and objectives will be eval- uated to ensure align- ment with community needs as well as up- dated Hazard analysis PUC will review section in ad- vance of working meetings, and provide written edits to LMS Chair LMSWG will provide input and consensus on goals and objec- tives during quarterly meetings (Part 2 – The Projects) Pri- oritizing Mitigation Initia- tives This element focuses on the criteria for prior- itizing mitigation ac- tions and projects. The process will be re- viewed to ensure ac- tions and projects are prioritized according to need and benefit. This section also in- cludes the mitigation project list for the county since the last plan update. PUC will review section in ad- vance of working meetings, and provide written edits to LMS Chair Updated criteria will be presented at quarterly meeting for LMSWG review and discussion LMS Chair will provide survey for input LMSWG members will provide responses and updates regard- ing their respective completed projects since the last plan up- date. (Part 3 – Funding) The Funding Section will be re- viewed to ensure ac- curate and up to date information on all funding sources and programs, identify any potential new sources of funding, and PUC will review section in ad- vance of working meetings, and provide written edits to LMS Chair September 2025 P1-12 For meetings and discussions scheduled with topics from the LMS-PUMP, relevant materials were forwarded to PUC members ahead of the meetings to provide a better understanding of the elements that were being discussed. PUC members were given an opportunity to provide input during the meetings or in writing via email. Plan Element Collaboration needed Responsible Parties provide additional guidance on how to navigate these sources to maximize funding opportunities (Part 4: The Appendices) The Appendices – Appen- dix H: Integration Docu- ment Relevant plans will be listed, plan elements will be identified for each plan, and re- views will occur to en- sure significant ele- ments and priorities from other plans align with LMS Plan. Addi- tionally, any actions needed to bring plans into alignment will be noted. PUC members will be assigned a plan/plans in advance. PUC members will review their respec- tive assignment ahead of working meetings, and provide written ed- its to LMS Chair LMS Chair will consult with origi- nal plan authors for final consen- sus prior to adoption of this sec- tion. (Part 4: The Appendices) The Appendices Existing maps will be updated to current data. Additional map- ping needs will be identified based on available research, current hazard analy- sis, state hazard miti- gation plan, and oth- ers sources as appro- priate. LMS Chair will meet with County GIS department to make needed updates. September 2025 P1-13 The following table details when the LMS Quarterly and PUC meetings were held to host discussions about the elements of LMS Plan broken down by topic: Date Meeting Topics Location December 14, 2023 LMS Q4 • Presentation of LMS PUMP North Dade Regional Li- brary February 29, 2024 PUC • (Part 1 – The Strategy) Analy- sis of all Hazards from THIRA Remote: Microsoft Teams March 14, 2024 PUC • (Part 1 – The Strategy) Mitiga- tion Goals and Objectives Remote: Microsoft Teams March 28, 2024 LMS - Q1 • Presentation and Discussion of Hazards, Goals and Objectives In person April 23, 2024 PUC • (Part 2 – The Projects) Prioritiz- ing Mitigation Initiatives Remote: Microsoft Teams June 27, 2024 LMS – Q2 • Presentation and discussion of Prioritization of Projects • Deadline to provide agency up- dates (self-reported elements not requiring discussion), Policies, Ordinances and Programs Af- fecting Mitigation (See Part 1: The Strategy of the LMS Plan) • Deadline to provide survey re- sponses for completed projects (See Part 2: The Projects) In person July 30, 2024 PUC • (Part 4: The Appendices) The Appendices – Appendix H: Inte- gration Document Remote: Microsoft Teams August 28, 2024 PUC • (Part 3 – Funding) The Funding Remote: Microsoft Teams Review and Revision Criteria The LMS will be updated by the LMS Chair with the assistance of the LMSSC and input from the LMSWG. Most revisions made to each section of this document were based upon the LMS-PUMP explained earlier in this document and LMSWG meetings that gen- erally discussed the following questions: September 2025 P1-14 1. Have there been any new mandates from Federal, State or Local agencies that require changes to the LMS? Any new or changing laws, policies or regulations? 2. Are there any societal developments or significant changes in the community that must be added to the current LMS? Does the LMS still reflect the concerns of the community? Are the demographics the same? Has there been any growth or devel- opment in hazard areas? 3. Have there been any changes in funding sources or requirements? 4. Should the LMS be updated to include any new forms of hazards or areas of vulnera- bility within Miami-Dade County communities? 5. Have there been any changes in the Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP), THIRA, or any other planning documents? 6. Have any of the mitigation opportunities been implemented? Are the priorities for implementation the same? 7. What are the recommendations or lessons learned from any major incidents that have occurred during the past five-year update period? Public Review and Comment The latest published version of the LMS Plan is posted on the Miami-Dade County web- site: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/emergency/local-mitigation-strategy.page for public review and commentary. Any comments received through this medium will be in- corporated through the revision process identified above. Comments can be sent to the following email address mdlms@miamidade.gov. DEM will post messages via the different social media platforms and the Miami-Dade County website to encourage Miami-Dade community members to review and comment on the Plan. Incorporation of Existing Plans and Strategies As part of the planning process, the LMSWG performed a review of local policies and plans to create an Integration Document (Part 4 Appendix H). The LMS Chair, as part of the LMS-PUMP, coordinated a planning meeting facilitated by FEMA contractors through their BRIC Direct Technical Assistance grant program. Opportunities for plan integration of policies, ordinances and programs were discussed so that they could be memorialized in the LMS Plan. Areas for opportunity where mitigation may be better aligned are also notated. The Integration Document in Part 4 Appendix H includes evaluations of the following: • Miami-Dade County Resilient305 Strategy • Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Strategy • Miami-Dade County Thrive305 Action Plan • Miami-Dade County DEM Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan (PDRP) • 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) September 2025 P1-15 • Miami-Dade County Extreme Heat Action Plan 2022 • Miami-Dade County DEM Recovery Support Function (RSF) Mitigation Annex • Miami-Dade County DEM Flood Response Plan • Miami-Dade County DEM Recovery Plan (July 2022) • Southeast Florida Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) 3.0 • Municipal Watershed Master Plans and Stormwater Master Plans Plan Adoption Once the plan has been approved by FDEM and FEMA, it will be submitted to the Miami- Dade County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) for adoption. Miami-Dade County has a metropolitan form of government with its own Home Rule Charter (Part 4 – Appen- dix G). Once the BCC passes a resolution, that action automatically includes all the Mu- nicipalities within the County. In the event a Municipality does not wish to participate in the action, that Municipality must, through their own resolution, opt out. However, FEMA requires that each jurisdiction, special tax district, institution or agency governed by a board or council adopt the LMS Plan through their own resolution to receive approval and the benefits of approval. Miami-Dade County communities that wish to utilize the LMS as their Floodplain Man- agement Plan for credit under the CRS Program, must also adopt the LMS. Copies of the local adoption must be sent to the LMS Chair to be incorporated into LMS-Part 4. A copy of the official plan adoption document can be found in Part 4 Appendix D. September 2025 P1-16 POLICIES, ORDINANCES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING MITIGATION 5 There are many federal, state and county laws and policies that affect hazard mitigation and all the members of the LMSWG. Some of those are: Federal 1. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, P.L. 93-288 as amended (The Stafford Act) is interpreted by Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regula- tion (44 CFR) and governs FEMA and emergency management and sets forth the federal concepts for hazard mitigation. It also defines the Coastal Barriers Resources Act (44 CFR 206 subpart J) and describes floodplain and environmental management (Parts 9 and 10). 2. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA-2K) has also redefined parts of The Stafford Act and those changes have been incorporated into this document. Much of FEMA has been further redefined by the “Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006,” which was enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President in the fall of 2006. 3. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS) FLA-15, July 1996, sets up a community rating system for flood insurance of- fering incentives for communities and credits for identified floodplain management ac- tivities. 4. National Fire Code, 1993 and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code define uniform fire safety standards adopted by rule by the State Fire Marshal. 5. Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which defines the Coastal Zone Manage- ment Act (15 CFR Parts 923 and 930). 6. Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulation which defines the National Environmental Policy Act including such mitigation measures as included in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (Part 61), Toxic Substances Control Act (Part 763), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and CERCLA (the Super- fund). 7. Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations that defines the Occupational Safety and Health Act containing many hazard mitigation measures. 8. Presidential Decision Directives 39 and 62 are the authorities directing the develop- ment of terrorism response. 5 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.4 (1) September 2025 P1-17 9. Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) 8: National Preparedness was released in March 2011. The goal of PPD 8 is to strengthen the security and resilience of the U.S. through five (5) preparedness mission areas – Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Re- sponse and Recovery. a. National Protection Framework follows the guiding principles of resilience and scalability, a risk informed culture and shared responsibility. b. National Mitigation Framework establishes a common platform for coordinating and addressing how the Nation manages risk through mitigation capabilities. c. National Response Framework includes establishing a safe and secure environ- ment moving towards recovery. d. National Disaster Recovery Framework focuses on how to best restore, rede- velop and revitalize the community and build a more resilient Nation. 10. National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP): provides a framework for programs and initiatives for the protection of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CI/KR) and ensures that resources are applied where they offer the most benefit for mitigating risk. 11. PPD – 21 Critical Infrastructure and Resilience establishes a national policy on critical infrastructure security and resilience State 1. State of Florida Statutes which are pertinent to hazard mitigation include: a. Chapter 161 – Beach and Shore Preservation b. Chapter 163 – Conservation, Aquifer Recharge and Drainage Element c. Chapter 255 – Public Property and Public Buildings d. Chapter 373 – Water Resources e. Chapter 380 – FDEP Resilient Florida Program f. Chapter 403 – Environment Controls 2. The South Florida Water Management District is a regional government agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state through managing and protecting water resources including balancing and improving water quality, flood con- trol, natural systems and water supply. September 2025 P1-18 3. South Florida Fire Prevention Code 1992-93 (adopted by the County Commission) defines standards for fire prevention and allows controlled burns as mitigation. County 1. Board of County Commission Resolutions a. R-572-00, which establishes the Miami-Dade Local Mitigation Strategy as official county policy. b. R-710-05, which authorizes the County Manager to apply for, receive, expend and amend applications for projects listed in the Miami-Dade Local Mitigation Strategy. c. R-451-14, which requires all County infrastructure projects to consider potential impacts of sea level rise during all project phases. 2. Pertinent Miami-Dade County laws include codes and ordinances that govern the un- incorporated and municipal activities, as follows: a. Chapter 8(b) of the county code, which deals with emergency management. b. Chapter 11(c), covering Development within Flood Hazard Districts. c. Chapter 17, i.e. the Housing Code, focused on maintaining the housing stock in decent safe and sanitary conditions. d. Chapter 18b covering right-of-way landscaping. e. Chapter 24 covering the activities of the Miami-Dade Division Environmental Re- sources Management (DERM) for permitting hazardous materials. f. Chapter 28 of the county code which deals with subdivision regulations. g. Chapter 33, covering zoning activities for approval of a development of regional impact. h. Floodplain Management Program sets the criteria for elevations and assesses the risks for flooding for different areas of the County. i. Miami-Dade County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) man- dates that municipalities have emergency management plans, as well as recom- mends the performance of hazard mitigation activities. September 2025 P1-19 j. Miami-Dade County Comprehensive Land Use Plan dictates current land use and controls future land use and growth throughout the county. k. The Public Works Manual, especially Section D5, concerning coastal construction. l. Miami-Dade County Environmental Protection Ordinance, Coastal and Freshwater Wetlands Regulations. 3. Miami-Dade County Special Assessment Districts can provide tree-trimming pro- grams that prevent more severe damage during windstorms. 4. On March 1, 2002, the Florida Building Code (FBC), was adopted by Miami-Dade County and all the Municipalities, consequently replacing the South Florida Building Code. The High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) portions of the code are applicable to Miami-Dade and Broward Counties only, the HVHZ sections of the FBC in addition to the most current ASCE- 7 standard contains stricter design and construction measures, especially to protect windows, walls, and roof from wind-born debris. In 2012, the FBC was amended to include flood protection measures and use of ASCE- 24. 5. The Local Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement with Miami-Dade County designed to coordinate and supplement local resources. 6. The Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement for Catastrophic Disaster Response and Recov- ery establishes a local resource for all Working Group members that are presently signatories. 7. The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact set forth an agreement be- tween Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties to work in collabora- tion to address the impacts of climate change on Southeast Florida. The Climate Change Action Plan was subsequently developed to identify and pursue reduction and resiliency measures in the region. County Programs Stormwater Management Masterplan This program has the responsibility of the evaluation of flood protection levels of service. The Stormwater Management (Drainage) Level of Service (LOS) Standards for Miami- Dade County contain both a Flood Protection (FPLOS) and Water Quality (WQLOS) com- ponent. The minimum acceptable Flood Protection Level of Service (FPLOS) standard for Miami-Dade County is protection from the degree of flooding that would result for a duration of one day from a ten-year storm, with exceptions in previously developed canal basins, where additional development to this base standard would pose a risk to existing development. All structures shall be constructed at, or above, the minimum floor elevation following the latest version of the Florida Building Code or as specified in Chapter 11-C September 2025 P1-20 of the Miami-Dade County Code, whichever is higher. The incorporated areas of the county (municipalities) may have adopted stricter elevation standards. Subdivision and Other Regulations Miami-Dade County Code imposes certain developmental requirements before land is platted. These relate to the provision of water and sewer facilities, local streets, side- walks, drainage, and open space. Before use permits or certificates of occupancy can be issued, Section 33-275 of the Miami-Dade County Code requires that adequate water, sewage and waste disposal facilities be provided. County Flood Criteria The County Flood Criteria sets the minimum Flood Protection Level of Service for finished grade elevation of developed sites, secondary canal banks and crown/grade of roads except as subject to higher localized standards. The County Flood Criteria are based on analysis of the flood conditions created by a 25-year/3-day and a 10-year/24-hour storm event, respectively, and a sea level rise forecast of 2 feet and above (expected to occur in year 2060). Shoreline Review The Shoreline Development Review Ordinance was adopted in 1985 and prescribes min- imum standards for setbacks, visual corridors and, with its’ accompanying resolutions, sets out a flexible review process through which architectural interest, building orientation, landscaping, shoreline use compatibility, access, and other design related elements can be negotiated with the developers and enforced by the local governing jurisdiction. Area Plan Report Since 1998, Area Plan Reports have emerged as a preferred planning technique for com- munity visioning and helping to find answers to fundamental planning questions. An Area Plan Report is a practical planning technique, which blends public participation, detailed planning, and the development of implementation tools. Its principal focus is the creation of planning products (instead of processes.) Public participation is indispensable for a successful Area Plan Report. The overriding objective is the creation of a detailed plan, which resolves areas of concern identified in the Area Plan Report study area; often these concerns involve capital improvements such as roads, sewers, sidewalks, parks and other community improvements. The Planning and Zoning Divisions of the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources implements the Area Plan Report process as a collective planning effort that develops a small area plan which incorporates the priorities of a community. Adaptation Action Area Planning Adaptation Action Areas (AAAs) are one of Miami-Dade County’s localized responses to sea level rise, related risks of flooding and other community resilience challenges. The goal of the AAA program is to accelerate community-led, neighborhood-scale adaptation approaches in the County’s most vulnerable communities. In 2011, the Florida Legislature created Adaptation Action Areas (S.163.3177 Florida Statutes). AAAs are a statutory September 2025 P1-21 policy tool which is an optional designation in the County's Comprehensive Development Master Plan. The Miami-Dade AAA program collaborates across Unincorporated and mu- nicipal jurisdictions to study concentrated flood, water quality, and other risks. The core of the AAA program is its community engagement process aimed at amplifying the voices of residents and organizing the many stakeholder groups and agencies who steward our urban environment while prioritizing capital projects and funding opportunities for imple- mentation. Coastal Management The Beach Restoration and Management Program is Miami-Dade County's mechanism for initiating and coordinating federal and/or State projects essential to the protection and recreational viability of Miami-Dade's ocean shoreline. Local participation in the determi- nation of activities pertaining to beach restoration and preservation is included in the pro- gram. The County has benefited from large federal and State funding contributions and the expertise obtained because of the program. Most notably, the Miami-Dade County Beach Restoration Project now provides hurricane and erosion control protection for up- land property and a vast recreational resource for public use. This project replaced a significantly eroded shoreline sustained only by bulkheads and seawalls, which offered little protective or recreational value. Implementation of erosion control projects is based on the following criteria: 1. Need for protection of public safety and property in areas threatened by coastal erosion. 2. To provide enhanced beach-related recreational opportunities for both visitors and Miami-Dade County residents. 3. To provide more effective and efficient long-term management of our natural and restored beach systems. The Biscayne Bay Restoration and Enhancement Program objectives are to maintain or improve ecological, recreational, and aesthetic values of Biscayne Bay, its shoreline, and coastal wetlands. Projects include shoreline stabilization, mangrove and wetland habitat restoration, and bay bottom community enhancement at parks and other public lands. These contribute to erosion control, water quality, fisheries, and wildlife resources. Future capital expenditures will be directed primarily towards maintaining and enhancing durability of restored beaches and to environmental improvement of the Biscayne Bay ecosystem. All these projects are developed and carried out based on the best scientific and technical information available to the agencies involved. September 2025 P1-22 Municipalities Each of the municipal partners has integrated mitigation into their planning processes, policies, and structures in some capacity. Part 4 Appendix I is a review of each munici- palities’ mitigation policies, ordinances, or plans that integrate Miami-Dade County’s LMS. Additionally, each municipality has a designated point of contact which is updated annually utilizing LMS Working Group Contact Update Form. These individuals have the responsibility to coordinate mitigation activities with the relevant municipal agencies. The municipal partners either through their designated point of contact or agencies have the responsibility for integrating mitigation into their respective plans and procedures. Common examples of these plans and procedures are: • Municipal Flood Warning and Response Plans and Procedures • Municipal Comprehensive Development Master Plans • Protective Actions Plans and Procedures Municipal Agencies and their Mitigation Functions The municipalities of Miami-Dade County each have within their structure certain depart- ments and agencies which affect and promote mitigation. While these agencies may have slightly different names from city to city, the role they perform in the mitigation func- tion remains the same (e.g. public works or public services or community services, etc.). These departments and their functions as it relates to mitigation are listed below. Municipal Floodplain Manager: Some of the municipalities have a designated floodplain manager. They are responsible for coordinating and directing compli- ance with the Community Rating System (CRS) and maintaining their municipal- ity’s flood warning and response plan. Municipal Police and Fire Rescue Departments: Each of the municipalities ex- cept Miami Lakes, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay maintains its own Police Depart- ment. The cities of Coral Gables, Hialeah, Key Biscayne, Miami, and Miami Beach maintain their own fire departments, with the rest of the cities using Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue for this service. Emergency responders are essential for alert and notification, lifesaving response, prevention, and protection activities that all contribute to lessening the impact of disasters. Municipal Code Officials/Departments: the building officials in each municipal- ity, except for some that depend on the county’s services, are responsible for in- terpreting and enforcing all laws, codes, ordinances, regulations, and municipal policies related to the construction, improvement, expansion, or repair of buildings within the municipality. The County Department of Regulatory and Economic Re- sources (RER) ensures that all new construction complies with the Florida Building Code which is a major factor to hazard mitigation. The department usually is re- sponsible for the management of development in Special Hazard Areas; preser- vation of open space; general control of land use intensities; and coordination September 2025 P1-23 between the capacity of public infrastructure in relation to proposals of private de- velopment. RER also ensures all proposed development in the municipality con- forms to the comprehensive plans as it relates to urban design of public areas and buildings, infrastructure planning and maintenance of flood data and other statisti- cal information. Municipal Planning and Development Department: This is often a part of the building department and at times, a part of public works. However, several of our municipalities maintain planning and development as a separate entity which in- teracts with the mitigation strategy in many ways and must be involved in the LMS especially in urban land use. Public Works Department: In most of our cities this department is responsible for construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, waterways, and storm water man- agement including drainage system development, inspection, and maintenance. All these functions relate in various ways to hazard mitigation. Public works activ- ities are a major component of any mitigation strategy. September 2025 P1-24 MITIGATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES6 Mitigation initiatives undertaken in Miami-Dade County should be consistent with the goals and objectives set forth in this plan and the individual municipalities’ mitigation plans and policies, as well as public safety regulations and citizen welfare. Since the previous version of the plan, more data, changing priorities and innovative approaches to mitigation have been brought to the forefront of the mitigation efforts of the County and its partici- pating jurisdictions and partners. Therefore, changes to goals and objectives were made to address the following: • Recognition of all different sources of flooding • The importance of prioritizing vulnerable populations and awareness of potential negative cascading effects disproportionately impacting them • The importance of ensuring sustainability of proposed mitigation actions • Recognizing the benefits of nature-based solutions and its co-benefits when de- signing mitigation projects • Emphasizing the importance of regulation • Prioritizing projects that feature whole community collaboration • Addressing identified barriers to mitigation Goals 1. Reduce Miami-Dade County’s vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards Objectives: 1.1. Incorporate new and more accurate data, studies and maps that demonstrate the evolution of risk in the county 1.2. Utilize a data driven process to measure efficacy of mitigation investments, methods, & techniques 1.3. Identify new and emerging mitigation methods and products for new and retro- fitting construction 1.4. Identify projects that mitigate expected impacts from hazards identified in the THIRA 1.5. Promote mitigation measures to the Whole Community through outreach and education 1.6. Harden building envelope protection – including all openings – and inclusion of a continuous load path from roof to foundation on all structures within the county 1.7. Reduce compound flood risk hazards driven by rainfall, tidal flooding, sea level rise or any combination thereof 1.8. Reduce storm surge hazards and effects by encouraging greater setbacks from shorelines for new developments of waterfront properties, encouraging 6 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.1.(3) September 2025 P1-25 retrofitting and elevation of structures with high priority consideration for those built on waterfront properties, seeking opportunities to acquire, exchange or otherwise secure limited control of waterfront real estate 2. Minimize future losses from all hazard impacts by reducing the risk to people and property Objectives: 2.1. Adopt land use policies that limit, prohibit or mandate development and con- struction standards to promote resilience and reduce risk 2.2. Adopt building codes leading to building design criteria based on site-specific evolving and future risk 2.3. Identify mitigation projects that reduce risk to vulnerable populations that are at greater risk from hazards 2.4. Integrate mitigation into existing structures during regular maintenance and re- placement cycles 2.5. Consider potential unintended cascading effects of mitigation activities on vul- nerable communities 3. Implement mitigation projects that meet or exceed current codes Objectives: 3.1. Design and develop projects that address both current and future risk 3.2. Identify projects that address cascading hazards from climate change 3.3. Mitigation projects should be sustainable and evidence-based 3.4. Where possible, mitigation projects should utilize nature-based solutions and provide resilience co-benefits 3.5. Identify code amendment opportunities to increase the resilience of the built environment 4. Prevent flood related repetitive losses from natural disasters Objectives: 4.1. Map repetitive and severe repetitive loss (RL & SRL) areas 4.2. Identify and support projects that will mitigate flood risk in these RL and SRL areas and use social vulnerability data to prioritize 4.3. Track mitigation projects by flood basin to see past, current and future pro- jects and compare to flooding data 4.4. Provide RL and SRL education and provide training opportunities 4.5. Support regulations aimed at reducing RL and SRL September 2025 P1-26 5. Promote and support the Community Rating System (CRS) for all communities in Miami-Dade Objectives: 5.1. Incorporate measures into the LMS to help obtain uniform credit for all CRS communities 5.2. Identify and track projects in the LMS to demonstrate the role of mitigation measures in reducing flood risk 5.3. Provide outreach and educational opportunities that are innovative and coordi- nated through all levels of government 5.4. Develop and implement a Program for Public Information (PPI) that includes vulnerable populations 6. Promote mitigation measures for critical facilities Objectives: 6.1. Continue to invite and work with critical facility stakeholders 6.2. Identify and track mitigation measures for existing critical facilities 6.3. Assess alternate facilities as identified in continuity of operations plans to deter- mine if the sites are appropriately mitigated 6.4. Identify additional sites for emergency sheltering 6.5. Integrate sea level rise modeling to project and characterize expected impacts during the expected service-life of critical facilities. Protect expressways, major highways and other thoroughfares and, bridges and causeways to provide for continuous, free flowing traffic and circulation as needed for the effective and unencumbered provision of emergency services and evacuation operations 7. Provide whole community planning Objectives: 7.1. Engage the whole community in mitigation efforts to maximize coordination and collaboration 7.2. Host mitigation workshops to educate stakeholders and community members 7.3. Initiate organizational, managerial and administrative goals to make mitigation a mainstream function of government affairs; spread the responsibilities throughout many departments and agencies to ensure continuity and a full in- tegration of mitigation management functions in the operations of government 7.4. Enhance public information and engagement to increase awareness of hazards and problems and to educate through a widespread program of general infor- mation, media coverage and participatory involvement 7.5. Identify mitigation projects that address gaps in planning, such as technical de- sign, engineering and long-term planning September 2025 P1-27 7.6. Provide support to mitigation partners in pursuing mitigation grant funding by keeping them informed about funding opportunities, connecting them to re- sources and providing guidance September 2025 P1-28 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION & VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT7 This section explains the natural, technological, or man-made hazards that have been selected for the LMS based on the potential risks outlined in the Threat and Hazard Iden- tification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) for Miami-Dade County. Each hazard has been described using the following categories: • Description: gives an overarching picture of the hazard. • Location: covers where the hazard is most likely to occur in the county; where possible, maps have been included to support the findings. • Extent: discusses the most damaging effects of the hazard in terms of death, bodily harm, and/or damages. This section also describes the rat- ing scale, if one is available (i.e., Saffir-Simpson scale, Enhanced Fujita scale, etc.). • Impact: describes the potential effects and consequences of the hazard on residents, identified assets and facilities, critical infrastructure, and en- vironment. • Previous Occurrence: lists and describes the historical record of this hazard in the county. The National Climatic Data Center was used to pop- ulate this section for many natural hazards. If there were no previous ex- amples of this hazard affecting the county, or the county was only mini- mally affected, other nearby geographical areas were considered. • Vulnerability: indicates which aspects of the physical environment and which social populations may be impacted by the hazard. In many cases, this section was a judgement call; many different types of populations will be affected by any emergency or disaster in the county. However, some may be more vulnerable than others and those populations have been identified in this section. This category is tied to the Vulnerability Index & Assessment section of the THIRA, which explains the full methodology for arriving at the given vulnerability levels for each hazard. • Frequency/Probability: provides information about the probability of fu- ture events for the identified hazards. The updated THIRA was under development during the time of the 5-year LMS update therefore most of the information contained in this section is based on the 2020 THIRA. 7 EMAP 2016 Standard 4.2.1 (1) September 2025 P1-29 Rationale for Inclusion or Omission of Hazards in LMS 1 2 To determine which hazards would be included in the LMS, each hazard from the THIRA was analyzed using historical, 3 current, and projected data and further discussed with LMS partners throughout the PUC meetings. During discussions, 4 partners also considered projected population changes and land use development which due to its increase makes Miami- 5 Dade County and all its participating jurisdictions more vulnerable to all the hazards considered below. For a map showing 6 the areas of the county that have had more land use development in recent years, refer to Part 5 p.29. Table 2 below 7 contains this analysis along with information from the discussions which together provide rationale for the inclusion or omis- 8 sion of each hazard. To make these determinations, risk was interpreted as a relative measure of the probability that a 9 hazard event will occur in comparison to the consequences or impacts of that event. Although a hazard is marked as not 10 considered for the LMS, new information or occurrences might necessitate we change this in future revisions. 11 12 TABLE 2. ANALYSIS OF ALL HAZARDS FROM THIRA8 13 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No Animal and Plant Disease X Historically, there have not been any occurrences of major animal disease in Miami-Dade County. There have been three new plant disease out- breaks in the last 20 years (15% probability in any one year) that have impacted the agricultural com- munities but have not had any impact on the phys- ical environment. In 2015, an outbreak of the Ori- ental Fruit Fly, one of the world’s most serious ex- otic fruit flies that threatens agricultural commodi- ties, was detected in Miami-Dade County farm- lands. As a result, 97-square miles of farmland was quarantined in the Redland area and an erad- ication program was triggered. A state of • For plant diseases pesticides, separa- tion/distancing, eradication of infected plants • For animal diseases, vaccinations, vector control, mosquito control, eradication of breeding grounds (e.g. standing water), pub- lic health education • Drain and Cover campaign materials to ad- dress mosquito abatement https://www.mi- amidade.gov/global/solidwaste/mos- quito/drain-cover.page 8 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Storm Events Database: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormev- ents/ September 2025 P1-30 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No agricultural emergency was declared in the county by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam H. Putman on September 15th, 2015. There were 11 rabies cases in Miami-Dade County in calendar year 2018. The cases were comprised of eight rac- coons, two cats and one otter. This represented about 10% of all cases statewide, which was a considerable increase from previous years. Since the implementation of Animal Services’ Wildlife Rabies Vaccine Distribution, the number of rabies cases reported in Miami-Dade County have de- creased significantly, with only two cases in 2019 and one case thus far in 2020. Due to the low oc- currence and limited impact, this hazard will not be further evaluated for the LMS at this time. Dam / Dike / Levee Failure X Miami-Dade County only has one levee that could affect the population, referred to as the 8.5 square mile area. This area has a pump meant to protect it from any failures, but the full required protective measures have not been decided since the levee is relatively new. The U.S. Army Corps of engi- neers considers all water control structures to be dams but they have confirmed there is no need for emergency plans for any of those control struc- tures in Miami-Dade County after discussion with the County’s Department of Regulatory and Eco- nomic Resources. There are several water con- servation areas that have a berm of about 4 feet around them that are dry most of the year. Histor- ically, there have been no occurrences of dam, dike or levee failures in Miami-Dade County. Mod- eling performed by Miami-Dade Department of • Maintenance of structures • Reduce/minimize construction close to structures, where possible • Fortify structures where risks are identified September 2025 P1-31 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No Transportation and Public Works shows that there are no populated areas near these locations that could be negatively impacted if the levees were breached. Due to the low occurrence and limited impact, this hazard will not be further evaluated for the LMS at this time. Drought X Combined with rising sea level projections, droughts would become a more critical hazard for Miami-Dade County. All agencies involved with managing water supply: SFWMD, Public Works, and Water & Sewer, express concern with droughts and have emergency protocols in place for it. Irrigation becomes particularly complicated by the effects of a drought, even with ordinances already in place to regulate water usage. More specifically, saltwater intrusion would be the great- est risk if canals are too low due to a prolonged drought. Historically, there has been 62 drought events recorded between 1950 and 2024. There have been no reported dollar losses to either phys- ical structures or crops. Although, on July 15, 2015, USDA designated Miami-Dade County as a primary natural disaster area due to the persistent drought conditions between January and July. Ad- ditionally, according to NWS, in years when South Florida experiences a drier and warmer winter season due to La Niña, there’s an increased likeli- hood of drought development, especially during the second half of the dry season from February through early May. Each of the previous eight La Niña winters • Water conservation • Public education and outreach • Regulatory fines • National Drought Mitigation Center http://drought.unl.edu/ September 2025 P1-32 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No have led to moderate to severe drought by spring over at least parts of South Florida. Droughts in South Florida also typically lead to an increased threat of wildfires peaking during the latter part of the dry season. This hazard is considered further for the LMS due to many partners having a stake in its effects and seeing the need to focus on effec- tive resource management systems, water con- servation, and drought preparation and planning. Earthquake X There have been no earthquakes in Miami-Dade County. South Florida does not have any docu- mented fault lines. The USGS shows there is a 0.279% chance of a major earthquake within 50 kilometers of Miami-Dade in the next 50 years. Therefore, this plan will not include a further eval- uation of this hazard at this time. • No Current Recommendations Epidemic / Pandemic X On March 11, 2020, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Miami-Dade County. A year into the pandemic, The Florida Department of Health had reported more than 6,000 COVID-related deaths in Miami- Dade County and positive cases were still at a rec- ord high of 501,639. Miami-Dade activated its EOC to a level 2 until May 2023 in response. In 2017, Miami-Dade had 113 confirmed cases of the Zika Virus. Out of the total cases, 1 was locally acquired and 112 were travel related. The Zika virus is a disease spread primarily through the bite • Public education and outreach • Vaccinations • Fortify pharmaceutical supplies • Surveillance, monitoring and reporting mechanisms • Quarantine/Isolation measures as needed • Ongoing training for first responders and healthcare providers on mitigating the spread of disease September 2025 P1-33 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No of an infected Aedes species mosquito, the same type of mosquito that spreads other viruses like dengue and chikungunya. A coordinated effort be- tween Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management and the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County is established to set out a strategic plan in response to the Zika Vi- rus. There is consensus among our LMS partners that although the frequency of a pandemic is low, the widespread and compounding effects of this hazard are worth considering further for the LMS. Erosion X Coastal Erosion is a continuous problem for the Miami-Dade County coastline. It is the county’s natural barrier that can help protect us from the im- pacts of storm surge and sea level rise. The most severe erosion occurs in relation to hurricanes and tropical storm, from June to November. Our SFWMD partners express concern for erosion im- pacting older roads after a storm and making them impassable as well as affecting structures that are critical to water management. Therefore, they maintain heightened monitoring of this hazard. There are 20.8 miles of beaches in Miami-Dade County that are an important factor to our econ- omy and at risk for erosion. There are also 500 parcels that sit adjacent to the shoreline that could be at risk if erosion became severe. In 2017, Hur- ricane Irma caused some beach erosion through- out Miami-Dade County with the preliminary as- sessment estimating a loss of about 170,000 cubic yards of sand. Additionally, our partners have • Fortify beaches through re-nourishment • Fortify dunes with vegetation or structural components • Natural barriers and living shorelines such as mangroves and coral reefs • Limit construction close to coastal areas prone to erosion • Limit re-development after disasters in coastal areas prone to erosion • Implement/enforce building code to fortify structures in coastal areas September 2025 P1-34 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No communicated the severity of cascading impacts from erosion. For example, unsecured construc- tion site erosion can aggravate drainage issues and flooding for our county during a storm or rain event. Therefore, this hazard is considered further for the LMS. Extreme Heat X In the summer of 2021, the National Weather Ser- vice stated that Miami observed 60 days of tem- peratures at or above 90०F. Due to climate change, Miami-Dade County's minimum tempera- ture has been warming at a rate of +0.6०F per dec- ade since 1985 according to NOAA data. Days with a high heat index in South Florida are also projected to increase with climate change. NOAA’s National Weather Service Heat Index is a measure of how the human body feels when air temperature is combined with relative humidity. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, Miami-Dade is projected to have 14 "off the chart" heat index days by late century (2070-2099). "Off the chart" being over 135०F. In 2023, Miami-Dade County also received the first ever heat warning in recorded history and had 42 days that reached a heat index of 105०F or more. As a result, the peaks in heat-related emergency department visits were 100% higher than the peaks in the 5 years prior. In 2024, Miami-Dade County had 60 days at or above a heat index of 105०F and continued dou- bling in emergency department visits related to • Public Education, Outreach and emergency notification • Identification, designation and opening of cooling centers for vulnerable populations, as needed. • Energy redundancy for cooling sites. • Implementation of energy redundancy in structures housing vulnerable populations. • Promotion of available resources and financ- ing for multi and single family property own- ers to have adequate cooling and energy ef- ficiency. • Implementation of projects that reduce of the urban heat effect September 2025 P1-35 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No heat.9 Due to the rising concerns associated with extreme heat, especially from health and medical partners, this hazard is considered further for the LMS. Flooding X Much of Miami-Dade County is susceptible to lo- calized flooding, particularly during the rainy sea- son that runs from mid-May through mid-October. The mean elevation of Miami-Dade County is rel- atively flat at 11 feet. The County’s flat terrain causes extensive “ponding” due to the lack of ele- vation gradients to facilitate “run-off”. Of Miami- Dade’s 1,250,287 acres, 44.62% of that is within the flood plain (557,871 acres). There have been 101 recorded flood events and 61 flash flood events in Miami-Dade County between 1950 and 2024. Localized flooding and “ponding” occur fre- quently during the rainy season. Property dam- ages of over $542M and crop damages of over $714M have been recorded from flooding for inci- dents between 1950 and 2024. LMS partners are also interested in mitigation for compound flooding and groundwater flooding caused by higher tides and sea level rise. There’s a heightened aware- ness within our county of repetitive loss properties and aging infrastructure that continues to be se- verely affected by these types of flooding. Due to its high frequency and the need for more • Public education and outreach on FEMA Flood Zones, storm surge planning zones and general flood risks. • Education on Flood Insurance • Participation in NFIP and CRS • Drainage projects, green stormwater infra- structure, wet floodproofing, and home ele- vation to address RL and SRL areas • Reinforcing water management structures vital to hospitals • Freeboard requirements for elevation of structures above BFE • Monitoring and coordination for mainte- nance and mitigation projects along canal areas • Monitoring and maintenance of storm drains • Updating of infrastructure to restore flood protection level of service. • Swale, right of way, and open space protec- tion and enhancement • Participation in the development of FEMA FIRM maps to help identify at risk areas and areas that have been mitigated 9 Rapidly Developing a Community and Evidence-Based Heat Action Plan: https://gisweb.miamidade.gov/agolpdf/RapidlyDevelopingCommu- nity_EvidenceBasedHeatActionPlan.pdf September 2025 P1-36 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No innovative solutions, this hazard is considered fur- ther for the LMS. Hail X According to NOAA data, the annual average of hail activity in Miami-Dade County has shown some fluctuation. Between 2000 and 2014, there was an annual average of 9 hail activities in Miami Dade County. Since then, the average number of hail events has decreased. Between 2020 and 2024, there was an average of 5.75 events per year. To date, there has been zero death, injuries, and approximately no property damage associ- ated with hail occurring in Miami-Dade County. Due to the low impacts of this hazard, it will not be considered further for the LMS at this time. • Alert and notification of public to seek safety inside • No other current recommendations Hurricane / Tropical Storm X In the past 100 years, there have been approxi- mately 340 hurricanes that have impacted the coast of Florida. Of these hurricanes, 70 have im- pacted Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County has a 1 out of 6 chance of being hit by a hurricane, the highest likelihood in the state. 2017 was the last year that Miami-Dade was impacted by a ma- jor Hurricane (Hurricane Irma). Since then, Miami- Dade has received FEMA disaster declarations for hurricanes Dorian, Isaias, Nicole, Ian, and Milton. Due to the high impacts, this hazard is further con- sidered for the LMS. • Public education and outreach to match growing population, prioritizing new resi- dents, new homeowners, and visitors • Designation of storm surge risk areas • Supportive services (evacuation and shelter- ing) for at risk populations • Nature based solutions and green infrastruc- ture projects based on engineering studies • Structural hardening • See also recommendations under winds and floods Landslides X Due to Miami-Dade’s low average elevation, land- slides are not likely to occur. There have been no reported landslides in Miami-Dade. Due to the low • No current recommendations September 2025 P1-37 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No probability and low risk this hazard is not further considered for the LMS. Lightning X There were 72 reported lightning events in Miami- Dade County between 1950 and 2024 (almost 100% chance of a lighting event occurring every year). Though the probability is high, the recorded impacts of these events is low with the highest sin- gle impact being about $80K for an incident in Hi- aleah Gardens when a lightning struck an apart- ment building. The lightning strike caused a fire and four apartments suffered significant damage leaving a total of 20 residents displaced. However, due to the low impact of this hazard it will not be considered further for the LMS at this time. • Surge protection for electrical, computer and phone systems • Lightning protection/suppression systems • Lightning detection and warning devices • Public education and outreach Saltwater Intrusion X Saltwater intrusion is a continuous problem that has been occurring ever since the Everglades were drained to provide dry land for urban devel- opment and agriculture. Long periods of drought and storm surge inundation are hazards that have been attributed to increases in saltwater intrusion. It poses a threat to the drinking water supply and requires close coordination of local agencies to continuously monitor intrusion, determine appro- priate pumping rates and the coordination with South Florida Water Management District for maintenance of ground water levels. SFWMD, RER, and Public Works already place a lot of effort in mitigating this hazard and have communicated the need to continue doing so. This hazard is in- cluded in the LMS for further consideration. • Continue practices of monitoring levels, gauging pumping levels and determining fu- ture impacts and need for deeper wells September 2025 P1-38 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No Sea Level Rise X Sea level rise is causing major stress on the entire water management system that we depend on even far inland in our county. Sea level rise also worsens coastal flooding during astronomical high tides and storm surge events. LMS partners from SFWMD, RER, and Public Works have communi- cated that sea level rise gravely affects the ability of the canals to drain standing water after rainfall events as well as reducing their water storage ca- pacity.. Gravity based outfalls that lie below sea level have already seen impacts when saltwater flows up through the outfall system into the streets of several communities. The Unified Sea Level Rise Projection for South- east Florida highlights three planning horizons. The first is the short-term projection, that by 2040, sea level is projected to rise 10 to 17 inches above 2000 mean sea level. The second is by 2070, sea level is projected to rise 21 to 54 inches above 2000 mean sea level. The third is that by 2120, sea level is projected to rise 40 to 136 inches above 2000 mean sea level.10 • Designation of Adaptation Action Areas • Additional modeling/mapping to determine areas at risk • Build with sea level rise considerations to in- crease future resiliency as determined by the useful lifespan of a project • Minimize development in future risk areas Severe Storm X A storm is considered severe if it produces a tor- nado, winds of 50 knots (58 mph) or greater, and/or hail of an inch in diameter or greater. Using heavy rains and thunderstorm wind as indicators, • Practices to mitigate against hurricanes are also applicable to severe storms. • Also see recommendations under floods 10 2019 Unified Sea Level Rise Projection for Southeast Florida: https://southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/initiative/regionally-unified-sea-level- rise-projection/ September 2025 P1-39 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No there have been 397 severe storm related events reported in the NOAA data base for Miami-Dade County between 1950 and 2024. Many of our mu- nicipalities have been severely affected by local- ized no name storms and they express necessity to mitigate against this hazard. RER and SFWMD also confirm that these storms often cause more flooding in their water management structures than hurricanes. Due to the high probability and in- tensity, this hazard is further considered in the LMS. • Review Model Storm analyses and identify mitigation initiatives for the hardest impacted areas • Track heavy rain and subsequent flooding to identify areas for potential mitigation measures Sinkholes X There is no official record of all sinkholes in Miami- Dade. The Florida Geological Survey maintains a database of all “subsidence incidents,” however this only includes events that have been officially reported and includes many events that are not sinkholes. Between 1948 and 2019, only one sub- sidence incident was reported in Miami-Dade to the Florida Geological Survey. In 1972, a sinkhole measuring three feet by three feet, was recorded in Miami-Dade County by the Florida Geological Survey.11 Most of the instances reported are small in extent and have not significantly impacted the built environment. Within the State of Florida for insurance claims, Miami-Dade County repre- sented 2% of the total claims in 2010. Additional instances of sinkholes claims have been reported through insurance claim reporting data but the • Assessment, hardening and replacement of aging infrastructure. 11 Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Geological Survey Division Subsidence Incident Reports Map: https://ca.dep.state.fl.us/mapdirect/?focus=fgssinkholes September 2025 P1-40 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No magnitude of each respective claim was not made available. Due to the low impact of this hazard it is not considered further for the LMS at this time. Space X There have been no space weather events spe- cific to Miami-Dade County that have caused inter- ference with technological components of commu- nication or electrical systems. Due to the low prob- ability of this hazard it is not considered further for the LMS at this time. • Identifying redundant or alternate systems in case of outages. • Hardening of CI/KR Tornado X There have been 147 occurrences of tornadoes in Miami-Dade County between 1950 and 2024. Recorded damages from tornadoes for property exceeds $202M. Due to the high probability and high impact, this hazard is included in the LMS for further consideration. • Hardening of structures. • Identification of safe rooms and structures. Follow FEMA Safe Room guidance: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-manag- ers/risk-management/building-science/safe- rooms/resources • Increased public awareness • Signing up for existing alert and notification systems. Tsunami X There have been no tsunamis occurring in Miami- Dade County. The risk of a tsunami striking Flor- ida is considered to be relatively low by the Na- tional Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin- istration. Due to the low probability of this hazard it will not be considered further at this time. • Education for risk can be also tied to coastal communities currently at risk for Storm Surge. Volcano (Ash/Dust) X There are no volcanoes in Miami-Dade County and no recorded impacts to the physical environ- ment from volcanoes. Due to our distance to any volcanoes, there is no projected impact. The big- gest concern in relation to an active volcano • Implementation of Sheltering in Place as identified in the Miami-Dade All Hazards Protective Measures Plan. September 2025 P1-41 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No outside of our area would be volcanic ash that may be carried by trade winds that could limit aviation operations or possible compromise the air quality. There are no expected impacts to physical infra- structure. Due to the low probability and low im- pacts, this hazard will not be considered further for the LMS at this time. Wildfires X There have been 16 wildfires recorded between 1950 and 2024 in Miami-Dade County (21% chance of a wildfire occurring every year). Rec- orded property damages for wildfires is about $255K. Though historically there has not been a high impact on property, it is estimated that about 613,453 people, or 25% of our area population, live within the Wildland Urban Interface and could be at risk. This hazard is included for further con- sideration in the LMS. • Prescribed burning programs. • Cutting brush or other fuel away from struc- tures. • Follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Firewise Communities Program https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-re- search/wildfire/firewise-usa • Roles in Fire-Adapted Communities http://www.usfa.fema.gov/down- loads/pdf/publications/fire_adapted_com- munities.pdf Windstorms X There were 11 high wind and 6 strong wind events on record from 1950 to 2024 (22% chance of an event occurring every year). Recorded property damages total about $48K. Mitigation strategies that address tropical storms and hurricanes would also help protect the built environment from high wind events. Due to the low impact of these events, this hazard will not be considered further for the LMS at this time. • Building opening and glazing protection. • Hardening of roof structures. • Securing roof top equipment. Winter Storm X There have been 27 occurrences of winter storm related events (cold/wind chill, extreme cold, frost/freeze) between 1950 and 2024 (36% • Identification, designation, construction of cold weather shelters for homeless and other vulnerable populations and opening of the same during cold weather events. September 2025 P1-42 Hazard Further Consideration for LMS Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Mitigation Measures Natural Yes No chance of an event occurring every year in Miami- Dade County). Though there have not been any recorded property damages, there has been over $300M in crop damages during these events. Dur- ing these events, a demand for electricity will in- crease and many homes in South Florida do not have efficient heating systems, unlike their air con- ditioning systems, and therefore the demand on electricity can be much higher. This hazard is in- cluded in the LMS for further consideration. • Public education and outreach • Agriculture Extension works with local grow- ers for educational material for mitigation of crop losses. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/miami- dade/ 14 September 2025 P1-43 The following non-natural hazards are included in the THIRA and we have included suggested mitigation measures, but they are not 15 currently further considered in the LMS. 16 Technological Mitigation Measures Coastal Oil Spill • Vessel inspections • Compliance with safety regulations Electric Utility Failure • Emergency Generators • Alternate energy sources • Hardened utility lines and structures • Emergency Evacuation and Assistance Program run by the DEM to assist vulner- able populations • Public Outreach and Education Hazardous Materials Release • Regular onsite inspections of hazardous materials facilities • Hardening of facilities with hazardous materials • Emergency shut off valves • Public Outreach and Education • Implementation of All Hazards Protective Measures Plan Nuclear Power Plant Release • Hardened facilities • Public Education, Outreach and Alert and Notification process • Protective Actions to shut down facility • Turkey Point Response Plan and annual exercises Structural Fire • Fire suppression safety systems • Alert and notification systems • Regular Fire Drills and Inspections Transportation Incident (i.e. Highway and/or Rail Incident) • Inspection and maintenance of transportation corridors • Building infrastructure to future risk and capacity needs • Inspection and maintenance of trains, planes, automobiles and vessels Water/Wastewater Incident • Inspection and maintenance of infrastructure • Building infrastructure to future risk and capacity needs Human Caused Hazards Active Shooter • See Something, Say Something campaign • Security screening procedures Civil Disturbance/ Civil Unrest • Intel gathering and sharing • Community gathering points to allow for peaceful demonstrations • Public Outreach and Education September 2025 P1-44 • Increased law enforcement presence as a deterrence Electromagnetic Pulse • Shielding • Backup systems for communications and power • Surge protection Food Borne Illness Incident • Follow Public Health guidelines • Reporting systems Mass Migration • Intel gathering and sharing Terrorism – Biological (Category A, B and C Agents) • Surveillance and reporting • Follow Public Health guidance • Personal Protective Equipment • All Hazards Protective Measures Plan – implementation of Isolation/Quarantine • Public Education and Outreach Terrorism – Chemical • Intel gathering and sharing • See Something, Say Something campaign • Surveillance/monitoring of CI/KR sites Terrorism – Cyber • Intel gathering and sharing • Security procedures and passwords • Firewalls • Tamper proof infrastructure • Surveillance/monitoring of CI/KR sites • Miami-Dade created a Cyber Security Plan (April 2017) Terrorism – Explosive • Protective barriers (bollards, cement barriers, bullet proof glass, metal/chemical detection) Terrorism – Radiological • Surveillance/monitoring of CI/KR sites • Intel gathering and sharing • See Something, Say Something campaign Terrorism – Small Arms • Intel gathering and sharing • See Something, Say Something campaign • Surveillance/monitoring of CI/KR sites • Security screening procedures 17 18 September 2025 P1-45 Impacts of Future Changes in Population and Land Use Based on the estimations from the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) below12, Miami-Dade County’s population has increased since 2020 which gives valid reason for concluding it will continue along this trend, with variations in municipalities across the county. Additionally, the BEBR’s projections report for 2025-2050 give Mi- ami-Dade County a medium population projection of 2.9 million and a high projection of 3.2 million for 2030.13 According to the data below, 20 of Miami-Dade’s 34 municipali- ties, including unincorporated Dade, are increasing in population which will naturally lead to more land use development. Therefore, with more people we can expect addi- tional strain on our infrastructure, water management systems, utilities, and resources, making the county and all it’s interdependent municipalities increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of hazards. Municipality Census Count 2020 Population Change 2020-2024 Population Estimate 2024 Aventura 40,242 -138 40,104 Bal Harbour 3,093 -83 3,010 Bay Harbor Islands 5,922 -129 5,793 Biscayne Park 3,117 -87 3,030 Coral Gables 49,248 1,565 50,813 Cutler Bay 45,425 -399 45,026 Doral 75,874 6,301 82,175 El Portal 1,986 250 2,236 Florida City 13,085 4,088 17,173 Golden Beach 961 20 981 Hialeah 223,109 7,466 230,575 Hialeah Gardens 23,068 -765 22,303 Homestead 80,737 3,277 84,014 Indian Creek 84 5 89 Key Biscayne 14,809 -206 14,603 Medley 1,056 -6 1,050 Miami 442,241 24,930 467,171 Miami Beach 82,890 340 83,230 Miami Gardens 111,640 3,724 115,364 Miami Lakes 30,467 389 30,856 Miami Shores 11,567 -14 11,553 Miami Springs 13,859 7 13,866 12 Florida Estimates of Population 2024: BEBR https://edr.state.fl.us/content/population-de- mographics/data/Estimates2024.pdf 13 Projections of Florida Population by County, 2025-2030: BEBR https://bebr.ufl.edu/wp-content/up- loads/2024/01/projections_2024.pdf September 2025 P1-46 North Bay Village 8,159 -182 7,977 North Miami 60,191 -236 59,955 North Miami Beach 43,676 -101 43,575 Opa-Locka 16,463 97 16,560 Palmetto Bay 24,439 652 25,091 Pinecrest 18,388 -84 18,304 South Miami 12,026 -8 12,018 Sunny Isles Beach 22,342 446 22,788 Surfside 5,689 -288 5,401 Sweetwater 19,363 2,030 21,393 Virginia Gardens 2,364 10 2,374 West Miami 7,233 24 7,257 Unincorporated 1,186,954 20,179 1,207,133 Totals Miami-Dade County 2,701,767 73,074 2,774,841 Land use development trends over the past five years provide significant insight into fu- ture land use plans in Miami-Dade County. In the past five years, Miami-Dade County and its participating jurisdictions have experienced development driven by population growth, housing demand, and economic expansion. The Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP)14, updated every seven years, guides development with an em- phasis on sustainable growth within the determined Urban Development Boundary (UDB). The CDMP establishes a growth policy for the remaining acres of land in Miami Dade County which optimizes efficiency in public service delivery, conservation of valu- able natural resources, and planning for urban centers well connected by transportation facilities, among other priorities. As a result, in recent years high-density urban centers near transit hubs have been more common development projects. Recent initiatives have also included the transfor- mation of underutilized areas into mixed-use developments, such as the SoLé Mia pro- ject in North Miami, Grove Central in the city of Miami, and The Underline, which when completed will run through different jurisdictions. Additionally, neighborhoods in Hialeah and Little River continue to see expansion projects centered around affordable housing. The population trends discussed above along with land use development trends guided by the Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) and recent projects, influ- ence vulnerability to hazards in different degrees as follows. 14 Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP): https://www.miamidade.gov/planning/cdmp.asp September 2025 P1-47 1. Drought • Impact of Trends: High-density urban development increases impervious sur- faces reducing groundwater recharge and straining water resources during droughts. The CDMP’s focus on urban infill limits sprawl but concentrates water demand in urban areas, where landscaping for new developments requires irriga- tion, exacerbating water scarcity. This is further complicated in areas of the county that have a substantial agricultural sector and are also experiencing popu- lation growth and development like Homestead and Florida City. • Vulnerability: Moderate increase. Miami-Dade’s reliance on the Biscayne Aqui- fer, already stressed by population growth, faces heightened pressure from ur- ban water demands during droughts. 2. Erosion • Impact of Trends: Development along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, as developers target higher ground to avoid flooding (e.g., in Little Haiti), disrupts natural soil stability. Construction activities for large-scale projects can loosen soil, while in- creased stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces accelerates coastal and riverbank erosion. • Vulnerability: Moderate increase. Erosion risks are localized to construction sites, river and canal banks, and coastal areas, but the CDMP’s guidelines help reduce widespread land disturbance. 3. Flooding • Impact of Trends: High-density development within the UDB increases impervi- ous surfaces, reducing natural drainage and exacerbating urban flooding. While the CDMP promotes transit-oriented development to reduce sprawl, low-lying ar- eas remain vulnerable. • Vulnerability: High increase. Miami-Dade’s flat topography and frequent heavy rains make flooding a significant risk, worsened by aging infrastructure and lim- ited green infrastructure. 4. Hurricanes • Impact of Trends: Many development projects concentrate populations and in- frastructure in hurricane-prone areas. While the county’s strict building codes (post-Hurricane Andrew) ensure structural resilience, the CDMP’s focus on urban centers increases exposure of critical assets. • Vulnerability: High increase. Hurricanes threaten life and property, and urban concentration amplifies potential economic and social impacts, However, code- compliant modern designs mitigate many risks. 5. Saltwater Intrusion • Impact of Trends: Groundwater withdrawals for developments stress the Bis- cayne Aquifer, accelerating saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies. Develop- ment on higher ground (Atlantic Coastal Ridge) reduces direct coastal exposure September 2025 P1-48 but does not address aquifer overuse, a key driver of intrusion. With the saltfront advancing from the east, development along this portion of the county also has more significant risks. On the other hand, the preservation of the Everglades on the west side of the county prevents a significant amount of saltwater intrusion despite sea level rise. • Vulnerability: Moderate to high increase. Miami-Dade’s reliance on the aquifer, combined with rising sea levels, heightens intrusion risks, especially in the south portion of the County where the Biscayne Aquifer is shallower than in the north. 6. Sea Level Rise • Impact of Trends: The CDMP’s focus on development within the UDB, including low-lying areas, increases exposure to sea level rise. Projects built near the coast face long-term inundation risks. Developers’ shift to higher ground miti- gates some impacts but displaces vulnerable communities, creating social vul- nerabilities. • Vulnerability: High increase. Miami-Dade’s low elevation (average 6 feet above sea level) and coastal urban concentration make sea level rise a critical threat. 7. Severe Storms • Impact of Trends: Development projects like hotels and residential units add concentrated infrastructure at risk of wind and rain damage. With less rural buff- ers, storm impacts are focused on populated areas. Open green spaces incorpo- rated into development plans mitigate some runoff, but surrounding structures are still vulnerable considering population increases. • Vulnerability: High increase. Severe storms threaten urban infrastructure and populations, amplified by dense development patterns. 8. Tornadoes • Impact of Trends: Tornadoes are rare in Miami-Dade, but high-density develop- ment increases potential damage due to higher exposure of people and property. However, all new development has to meet Florida and Miami-Dade County building which has the strictest requirements for wind mitigation in the nation and therefore decreases some of the vulnerability to damage from tornados. • Vulnerability: Low to moderate increase. Tornadoes are less frequent and urban density heightens potential impacts on concentrated populations but strict build- ing codes help to mitigate this. 9. Wildfire • Impact of Trends: Miami-Dade’s urban focus within the UDB reduces wildfire risk by limiting development in rural, vegetated areas like the Everglades. • Vulnerability: Low increase. Wildfire risk remains low due to the county’s urban- ized landscape and wet climate, with development trends having minimal impact. September 2025 P1-49 10. Cold Wave • Impact of Trends: Cold waves are rare in Miami-Dade, and development trends have little direct impact. High-density housing may improve access to heated shelters and off-set effects of cold weather on the population. • Vulnerability: Negligible increase. Cold waves pose minimal risk, and develop- ment trends do not significantly alter exposure. 11. Extreme Heat • Impact of Trends: Urban development with extensive impervious surfaces exac- erbates the urban heat island effect, increasing temperatures in urban cores. Green spaces provide some cooling, but their impact is limited compared to widespread concrete and asphalt. Vulnerable populations in dense housing face higher heat stress without adequate cooling infrastructure. • Vulnerability: High increase. Extreme heat is a growing concern, worsened by urban intensification and limited green infrastructure in new developments. 12. Pandemic • Impact of Trends: Transit-oriented developments increase population density and public transit use, potentially facilitating disease spread during pandemics. The trend of mixed-use projects with retail creates high-traffic areas, also raising disease transmission risks. • Vulnerability: High increase. Dense urban environments heighten impacts of a pandemic. Since the previous LMS plan was approved, several of Miami-Dade County’s jurisdic- tions have had substantial increases in their development. The chart below shows the number of buildings constructed between 2020 and 2025 in each jurisdiction. According to this data, those with the highest numbers are City of Miami, Homestead, Florida City, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Doral, and Hialeah Gardens. Due to low elevation, FEMA flood zone designations, and stakeholder input regarding population demographics and infra- structure limitations, all these developments are in hazard-prone areas. Additionally, some jurisdictions would naturally have less development due to relative land mass but are nonetheless increasingly vulnerable to hazards due to other factors accounted for in the risk levels on Table 15 (p.1-52). All our coastal jurisdictions on the barrier islands (Miami Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Sunny Isles Beach, Golden Beach, North Bay Village, and Key Biscayne) that are undergoing development of high- rises and large apartment complexes also have significant increase in vulnerability to hazards due to limited evacuation routes. Jurisdiction Number of Buildings Constructed (2020–2025) Aventura 183 Bal Harbour 22 Bay Harbor Islands 127 September 2025 P1-50 Biscayne Park 7 Coral Gables 1,643 Cutler Bay 448 Doral 1,601 El Portal 8 Florida City 3,284 Golden Beach 27 Hialeah 2,662 Hialeah Gardens 1,101 Homestead 4,083 Indian Creek Village 9 Key Biscayne 57 Medley 591 Miami 5,445 Miami Beach 807 Miami Gardens 923 Miami Lakes 104 Miami Shores 71 Miami Springs 60 North Bay Village 8 North Miami 308 North Miami Beach 253 Opa-Locka 901 Palmetto Bay 77 Pinecrest 342 South Miami 205 Sunny Isles Beach 728 Surfside 139 Sweetwater 213 Virginia Gardens 0 West Miami 24 Unincorporated Miami- Dade 7,734 Data from Office of the Property Appraiser- Miami-Dade County September 2025 P1-51 Natural Hazards by Jurisdiction The following chart depicts the level of overall risk, by jurisdiction, for the twelve natural hazards considered in the LMS. The measure of risk, 0-5, was determined based on a combination of factors including the National Risk Index as a default indicator, discus- sions with local mitigation professionals, feedback from municipal partners, and known historical impacts of hazards on population and built environment. The following hazards were rated using the additional data sources described below: • Extreme Heat: Data from Miami Dade County’s Heat Vulnerability As- sessment study.15 The heat vulnerability index in this study was created by regression statistics that showed which exposure and sensitivity varia- bles had the strongest relationship with average annual heat related ill- ness hospitalization and emergency department rates from 2015 to 2019.16 • Sea Level Rise: GIS data gathered from the County’s Office of Resilience and NOAA’s Sea Level Rise mapping tool. Municipalities already affected by King Tide flooding coupled with a 1 ft sea level rise projection, were rated at very high risk. Municipalities affected by 2-4 ft of sea level rise were given a 3-4 risk level depending on additional feedback provided by municipal partners. Municipalities that were not significantly affected until the 5-6 ft sea level rise mark were rated low risk unless partners ex- pressed particular concerns regarding their vulnerabilities to this hazard. • Saltwater Intrusion: Ongoing USGS studies, which produced an updated map of Miami-Dade County depicting the approximate inland extent of saltwater at the base of the Biscayne aquifer. This map can be found in the section for saltwater intrusion. • Epidemic/Pandemic: The CDC’s social vulnerability index shows that Mi- ami-Dade County has a very high susceptibility to the adverse impacts of disease outbreaks when compared to the rest of the U.S.17 The social vul- nerability index is a measure of the demographic and socioeconomic fac- tors such as poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded 15 Heat Vulnerability Assessment: Understanding Heat Exposure in Miami-Dade County 16 Miami-Dade Extreme Heart Vulnerability Mapping Report: Vulnerability_Mapping_Deliverable_Final.pdf 17 CDC Social Vulnerability Index: Social Vulnerability Index | Place and Health - Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP) | ATSDR September 2025 P1-52 housing, that adversely affect communities that encounter all kinds of haz- ards. Additionally, data from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences indicates that Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 Pandemic Vul- nerability Index (PVI) remains in the top 20% nationally as of March 2023.18 TABLE 15. LEVEL OF RISK TO NATURAL HAZARDS BY JURISDICTION SCALE 0 Negligible or No Risk 1 Very Low Risk 2 Low Risk 3 Moderate Risk 4 High Risk 5 Very High Risk Jurisdiction Drought Erosion Flooding Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Saltwater Intrusion Sea Level Rise Severe Storm Tornado Wildfires Cold Wave Extreme Heat Epidemic/ Pandemic Aventura 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Bal Harbour 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Bay Harbor 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Biscayne Park 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 5 Coral Gables 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 3 1 4 4 5 Cutler Bay 2 2 4 5 5 5 3 2 1 4 3 5 Doral 3 3 5 5 4 3 5 4 1 4 5 5 El Portal 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 3 2 4 5 5 Florida City 4 3 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 Golden Beach 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Hialeah 3 0 5 5 3 2 5 4 4 4 3 5 Hialeah Gardens 3 0 5 5 3 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 Homestead 3 3 3 5 5 5 3 3 1 4 5 5 Key Biscayne 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Medley 3 0 5 5 3 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 Miami 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 2 4 5 5 Miami Beach 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 18COVID-19 Pandemic Vulnerability Index: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: COVID- 19 Pandemic Vulnerability Index Quick Start Guide September 2025 P1-53 Jurisdiction Drought Erosion Flooding Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Saltwater Intrusion Sea Level Rise Severe Storm Tornado Wildfires Cold Wave Extreme Heat Epidemic/ Pandemic Miami Gardens 3 0 5 5 2 3 5 4 4 4 4 5 Miami Lakes 3 0 5 5 2 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 Miami Shores 3 0 5 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 3 5 Miami Springs 3 0 5 5 3 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 North Bay Village 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 North Miami 3 0 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 5 North Miami Beach 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 4 5 Opa-locka 2 0 5 5 2 3 5 4 0 4 4 5 Palmetto Bay 4 4 4 5 5 5 3 4 2 4 3 5 Pinecrest 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 South Miami 3 3 5 5 5 3 5 4 4 4 2 5 Sunny Isles 2 5 4 5 5 5 4 1 0 4 3 5 Surfside 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 5 Sweetwater 3 0 5 5 2 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 Virginia Gardens 3 0 5 5 3 2 5 4 4 4 2 5 West Miami 1 0 5 5 3 2 5 3 0 4 3 5 Unincorporated 3 3 5 5 3 4 5 4 4 4 5 5 September 2025 P1-54 Drought Description A drought is characterized as an extended period with persistent dry weather conditions in a geographic area that typically has rain fall. A drought can however be defined in several different ways depending on the geographical region and situation: • Meteorological drought: When the normal level of precipitation has a significant measurable drop. • Agricultural drought: When the level of soil moisture drops below the suitable range for agricultural growth. • Hydrological drought: When the surface water and underground water supply falls below normal. • Socioeconomic drought: When water shortages seriously interfere with human ac- tivity. The Palmer Index, developed by Wayne Palmer in the 1960s, uses temperature and rain- fall information to formulate dryness. It has become the semi-official drought index. The index is effective in determining long-term drought conditions of several months. The in- dex sets normal conditions at 0 with drought conditions in negative values. The index can also be reversed showing the excess of precipitation where the normal conditions at 0 and positive values for amount of rainfall. The advantage of the Palmer Index is that it is standardized to local climate, so it can be applied to any part of the country to demon- strate relative drought or rainfall conditions. TABLE 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM ALERTS FOR DROUGHTS Alert Criteria Palmer Drought Index D0 Abnormally Dry Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures. Coming out of drought: some lingering water defi- cits; pastures or crops not fully recovered. -1.0 to -1.9 D1 Moderate Drought Some damage to crops, pastures, streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, and voluntary water- use restrictions requested. -2.0 to -2.9 D2 Severe Drought Crop or pasture losses are likely, water shortages common and water restrictions imposed. -3.0 to -3.9 D3 Extreme Drought Major crop and pasture losses with widespread water shortages or restrictions. -4.0 to -4.9 D4 Exceptional Drought Exceptional and widespread crop and pasture loss, shortages of wa- ter in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies. -5.0 or less Source: U.S. Drought Monitor Classification Scheme, from the United States Drought Monitor September 2025 P1-55 Location The entire County and all its participating jurisdictions are moderately vulnerable to drought conditions according to historical data and maps from the U.S. drought monitor. An extreme or exceptional drought could affect any part of the county, as shown by the June 2011 map below. However, the jurisdictions that have a strong agricultural sector would be most affected by these extreme drought events. These jurisdictions include Homestead, Florida City, and unincorporated areas of southwest Miami-Dade County around the Redlands Agricultural District. These areas are especially susceptible to the environmental and economic conditions resulting from a drought. To view the specific areas designated as agricultural zones, please reference Miami-Dade County’s Land Use Plan Map.19 Source: U.S. Drought Monitor Map Archive Extent The worst drought in Miami-Dade County, according to the National Climatic Data Center, was in 2011 when the Palmer Drought Index peaked at D4. 19 Comprehensive Development Master Plan- Land Use Plan Map: https://www.miamidade.gov/plan- ning/library/reports/planning-documents/cdmp/cdmp-land-use-map-2030-2040.pdf September 2025 P1-56 Impact Impact to Miami-Dade County Residents A drought will most likely affect those migrant farm workers who are employed by the agricultural community. Although not exhaustive, the following is a list of potential social populations that may be more heavily affected by this hazard than other groups. Although not exhaustive, the following is a list of potential social populations that may be more heavily affected by this hazard than other groups. • Residents with limited or no English • Low-Income/Poor • Transient Impact to Essential Facilities and Other Property Farms and farmers may feel the impact of a drought before the general population. The consequence of such an incident will be dependent upon the location, scale, magnitude and extent of the incident. Consequences related to essential facilities and property following a drought may include: • Business/service interruption, causing an impact to the local economy as well as individual households Impact to Critical Infrastructure Droughts typically do not affect physical structures but may affect essential services and other key community assets, including water services. Consequences related to critical infrastructure following a drought may include: • Limiting usage of water for recreational/extracurricular activities such as watering lawns and washing cars Impact to Environment Droughts play a significant role on the impact of the environment. Dead and dry vegeta- tion caused by droughts provide ample fuel for wildfires. Heavy accumulation of fuels, lack of strategic management programs, and inadequate fire-fighting infrastructure has further complicated Miami-Dade County’s risk to wildland urban interface fires. Consequences related to the environment following a drought may include: • Reduced crop, rangeland, and forest productivity • Increased fire hazards • Reduced water levels • Increased livestock and wildlife mortality rates • Damage to wildlife and fish habitat • Increased problems with insects and diseases to forests and reduced growth September 2025 P1-57 Previous Occurrences April – May 2020 – A very dry March and beginning of April led to severe drought condi- tions which developed over interior and western sections of southern Florida by the 3rd week of April. Several wildfires were reported in these areas. Less than three-quarters of an inch of rain fell during the first half of May across inland portions of Miami-Dade County, leading to the continuation of severe drought conditions. Surface and under- ground water levels dropped to around 10% of normal in some areas. Rainfall increased significantly during the second half of May, putting an end to the severe drought condi- tions by the end of the month. April – mid-May, 2018 – A prolonged dry spell since February continued through the middle of May, leading to lingering severe drought conditions over interior portions of South Florida. The dry conditions coupled with near-record low groundwater levels con- tributed to the spread of wildfires, including the Avian Complex in eastern Collier County which burned over 82,000 acres. This prolonged period of below normal rainfall led to low groundwater levels across this area, including at Water Conservation area 3, before the onset of the rainy season in mid-May put an end to the severe drought by May 22nd. January – September 2015 – A combination of decreased rainfall and higher than nor- mal temperatures through Miami-Dade County resulted in drought conditions throughout the county between January and September. A persistent high-pressure system in the upper levels of the troposphere restricted cold fronts to move southward through South Florida and delivered warm subtropical air to the region during the spring months (March- May). During the summer months (June-August), this high-pressure system brought warm and dry easterly winds steering most of the typical South Florida afternoon thun- derstorms to the west of the peninsula. A three-month deficit of 10-15 inches of rainfall across the County and temperatures between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above nor- mal resulted in drought conditions throughout this period. Miami-Dade County had its peak drought condition in late July 2015 when the Palmer Drought Index peaked to ex- treme drought (D3) in the eastern part of the County. As a result of this event, USDA designated Miami-Dade County as a primary natural disaster area due to the damages and losses caused to the agriculture community.20 March – early April, 2012 –Very dry conditions continued into early April over all of South Florida as high pressure continued to provide stable atmospheric conditions. January – August 2011 –Rainfall totals in January were near to below normal over most of southeast Florida. This resulted in the expansion of severe drought (D2) conditions over inland sections of Miami-Dade County. Rainfall deficits since October over these 20 USDA Designates 2 Counties in Florida as Primary Natural Disaster Areas, 2015: https://southeastag- net.com/2015/07/15/usda-designates-2-counties-in-florida-as-primary-natural-disaster-areas/ September 2025 P1-58 areas ranged anywhere from 8 to 11 inches. Most wells across the area were running at around 10 percent of normal water levels. The level of Lake Okeechobee remained steady at about 12.5 feet, which is 2.2 feet below normal. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was in the 500 to 600 range, which reflects a high fire danger and low soil moisture values. February was a very dry month over South Florida as a high pressure dominated the region's weather pattern. Over most of Miami-Dade, February rainfall totals were less than a tenth of an inch. As a result, February 2011 was among the top 10 driest Februarys on record at Miami and Miami Beach. This led to severe drought conditions over most of South Florida, with extreme drought conditions over portions of the southeast coast. The level of Lake Okeechobee fell about a half-foot during February, from around 12.5 feet to near 12 feet. Forestry officials reported double the number of wildfires during the winter months of 2010-2011 compared to the previous year. The period of October 2010 to February 2011 was the driest on record in the 80-year history of the South Florida Water Management District's records. Conditions remained dry and by the end of May, most of southern Florida was in an ex- treme (D3) drought status, except for an area of exceptional (D4) drought over eastern Palm Beach and Broward counties. This is the first time in well over a decade that any part of south Florida has been designated as being under exceptional drought conditions. June continued the streak of below normal rainfall over most of South Florida. Little rain fell during the first 10 days of the month, with the rainy season not starting until around June 8th. Almost all the rain across the area fell in the last 2 weeks of the months. Total rainfall were only in the 2 to 4 inch range over the east coast metro areas as well as the Gulf coast areas. Miami Beach recorded its driest June on record with only 1.15 inches of rain. Inland areas of South Florida received about 6 to 8 inches, with isolated 9 to 11 inch amounts south and west of Lake Okeechobee. The level of Lake Okeechobee dropped from around 10 feet at the beginning of June to a minimum of around 9.6 feet in late June before recovering by the end of the month. Wells and underground reservoirs remained at the lowest 10 percent of normal levels. Exceptional (D4) drought conditions extended over most of Palm Beach and Broward counties as well as far northern Miami-Dade County. Extreme (D3) drought conditions extended all the way to the southwest Florida Coast of Collier County, with severe (D2) drought conditions elsewhere over South Florida. Several wildfires broke out over South Florida in June, including a large wildfire in the Everglades of Miami-Dade County near the Miccosukee Resort and several wildfires in north-central Palm Beach County and eastern Collier County. July and August brought much needed rains. Overall, rainfall averaged near to above average over most areas, leading to gradually improving drought conditions. Lake Okeechobee remained over 3 feet below the normal level for this time of year. Underground water levels remained below normal over much of South Florida, September 2025 P1-59 especially over the metro east coast sections.21 No data was available to determine the economic impacts of this event. November 2008 – May 2009 – The driest winter on record over many locations in South- east Florida led to the onset of severe drought (D2) conditions. At Miami International Airport, winter season rainfall was only 0.74 inches, making it the driest winter on record. The drought continued into the spring as most of South Florida was still under severe drought (D2) conditions. April rainfall was less than an inch at most locations. Then a very dry start to the month of May prompted the issuance of extreme drought (D3) condi- tions over virtually all of South Florida. The onset of the rainy season around May 11 brought copious rainfall to the region as a low pressure trough in the upper levels of the atmosphere set up near South Florida, effectively ending the drought by the last week of May.22 Vulnerability Based on scores from the Hazard Impact Analysis found in the THIRA and summarized on the table below, Miami-Dade County has a medium overall vulnerability to droughts. *Vulnerability ratings take in consideration baseline vulnerabilities described in THIRA Volume 2 with ad- justment based on this specific hazard. Risk ratings consider probability & frequency, potential magnitude & scale, vulnerabilities, potential impacts, capabilities, and mitigation efforts related to this specific hazard. Physical Vulnerabilities Drought is not anticipated to have any impact on the built environment (Critical Infrastruc- ture, Key Resources, and Building Stock). It may cause economic losses to agriculture 21National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Storm Events Data- base: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ 22 Miami-Dade 2015 Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment September 2025 P1-60 and aquaculture due to loss of crops or water restrictions that inhibit normal operations. Crops most vulnerable to drought are the ones that are grown during the winter months, our dry season, and harvested in the spring months including cantaloupe, carambola, celery, cucumbers, dragon fruit, eggplant, fennel, guava, green beans, herbs, jackfruit, longyan, lychee, mushrooms, onions, papaya, passion fruit, plantains, radishes, sapo- dilla, spinach, squash, strawberries, sweetcorn, thyme, tomatoes and zucchini. Drought conditions can also impact the Miami-Dade County Water and Wastewater Treatment system. Social Vulnerabilities This hazard may impact persons employed by the agricultural community including mi- grant farm workers. In terms of the general population, it does not tend to affect one population over another. Frequency/Probability With the onset of Climate Change, Miami-Dade County may begin to see more severe droughts. As of the 2018 State of Florida Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan, Miami-Dade County is ranked as “medium,” one occurrence every 5-7 years, for drought compared to other counties in Florida. September 2025 P1-61 Erosion Description Erosion is the wearing-away of land or the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage; the wearing-away of land by the action of natural forces; on a beach, the carrying away of beach material by wave action, tidal currents, littoral currents or by deflation. Waves generated by storms cause coastal ero- sion, which may take the form of long-term losses of sediment and rocks, or merely in the temporary redistribution of coastal sediments. Riverine and canal erosion are minimal within Miami-Dade County and will not be further analyzed. Coastal erosion is of greater concern and is expanded upon next. Long-shore currents move water in a direction parallel to the shoreline. Sand is moved parallel to most beaches in Florida by long-shore drift and currents. Ideally the movement of sand functions like a balanced budget. Sand is continually removed by long-shore currents in some areas but it is also continually replaced by sand carried in by the same type of currents. Structures such as piers or sea walls, jetties, and navigational inlets may inter- rupt the movement of sand. Sand can become “trapped” in one place by these types of structures. The currents will, of course, continue to flow, though depleted of sand trapped elsewhere. With significant amounts of sand trapped in the system, the continuing motion of currents (now deficient in sand) results in erosion. In this way, human construction activities that result in the unnatural trapping of sand have the potential to result in signif- icant coastal erosion. The ability of waves to cause erosion depends on a number of factors, which include: • The hardness or “erodibility” of the beach, cliff, or rocks, including the presence of fissures, fractures, and beds of non-cohesive materials such as silt and fine sand. • The rate at which sediment is eroded from the foreshore is dependent on the power of the waves crossing the beach, and this energy must reach a critical level or material will not be removed from the debris lobe. • Beaches actually help dissipate wave energy on the foreshore and can provide a measure of protection to cliffs, rocks, and other harder formations, as well as any area upland. • The lowering of the beach or shore platform through wave action is a key factor controlling the rate of erosion. A beach is generally lowered when its profile changes shape in response to a change in the wave climate. If the beach is not lowered, the foreshore should widen and become more effective at dissipating the wave energy, so that fewer and less powerful waves affect the area. • The near shore bathymetry controls the wave energy arriving at the coast and can have an important influence on the rate of erosion. September 2025 P1-62 Beach Erosion – Beach erosion occurs when waves and currents remove sand from the beach system. The narrowing of the beach threatens coastal properties and tourism rev- enue in coastal counties throughout the United States. Dune Erosion – Dune erosion occurs when waves attack the front face of the sand dune, reducing the volume and elevation of the dune. Erosion of the sand dune leaves coastal properties more vulnerable to future storms. Overwash – When waves exceed the elevation of the dune, sand is transported across the island in a process known as overwash. When overwash occurs, it often results in significant damage to coastal property. Inundation and Island Breaching – Inundation occurs when the beach system, or the sandy profile located between the most seaward (primary) dune and the shoreline, is completely submerged under the rising storm surge. Strong currents may carve a chan- nel in the island in a process known as island breaching. September 2025 P1-63 Location The coastal areas indicated in the map below, from the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection (FDEP), are at highest risk for coastal erosion.23 This includes areas within the municipalities of Key Biscayne, Miami, Miami Beach, Biscayne Park, Bay Har- bor Islands, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, and Golden Beach. Source: FDEP Critically Eroded Beaches in Florida 23 FDEP Critically Eroded Beaches in Florida- August 2024: https://floridadep.gov/sites/de- fault/files/FDEP_Critically%20Eroded%20Beaches_08-2024_0.pdf September 2025 P1-64 Extent Coastal erosion is determined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on a scale of critically eroded or non-critically eroded. A critically eroded beach is defined by FDEP as “a segment of the shoreline where natural processes or human activity have caused or contributed to erosion and recession of the beach or dune sys- tem to such a degree that upland development, recreational interests, wildlife habitat, or important cultural resources are threatened or lost. Critically eroded shorelines may also include peripheral segments or gaps between identified critically eroded areas which, although they may be stable or slightly erosional now, their inclusion is necessary for continuity of management of the coastal system or for the design integrity of adjacent beach management projects.”24 A non-critically eroded beach would be considered any segment of the coastline that does not meet the criteria for critically eroded stated above. That is, erosion has not progressed to a degree that threatens upland develop- ment, recreational interests, wildlife habitats, or cultural resources. Erosion is a major concern for all beaches in Miami-Dade County and has been identi- fied in many areas along the coast of the county. Erosion can happen at any time throughout the year. Large pieces of land may erode more quickly during storms, and therefore, more erosion may take place during stormy seasons. Erosion is often a slow onset disaster and can be a concern for many years. Unless action is taken to stop the erosion or replenish areas (such as beaches), erosion is a permanent fixture. Coastal erosion is expected to increase with sea level rise and storm frequency and severity. However, Miami-Dade County’s Division of Environmental Resources Management has a program for monitoring and renourishment of the severely eroded areas.25 Impact Impact to Miami-Dade County Residents Certain population groups may be impacted and/or more vulnerable based on any num- ber of social or economic factors, including those who may unknowingly purchase a home in a high-risk area for erosion. Residents who live on the coast, will most likely be affected by a reduction in their property value. Like all hazards, the actual consequence of such an incident will be dependent upon the location, scale, magnitude and extent of the inci- dent. Although not exhaustive, the following is a list of potential social populations that may be more heavily affected by this hazard than other groups. 24 FDEP Critically Eroded Beaches in Florida- August 2024: https://floridadep.gov/sites/de- fault/files/FDEP_Critically%20Eroded%20Beaches_08-2024_0.pdf 25 Miami-Dade County Beach Erosion Control Master Plan: https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/li- brary/reports/beach-renourishment-doc.pdf September 2025 P1-65 • Children • Disabled • Elderly • Residents with limited or no English Consequences towards the public as a result of erosion may include: • Temporary/permanent loss of residence, causing an increased need for shelter, short-term or long-term housing • Temporary/permanent loss of transportation, causing a need for replacement or alternative forms of transportation • Temporary/permanent loss of employment/business income, causing an in- creased need for loans • Temporary loss of services/utilities, requiring alternate means to address immedi- ate needs Impact to Essential Facilities and Other Property All essential facilities along the coastline of Miami-Dade County are vulnerable to erosion. An essential facility will encounter many of the same impacts as any other building on the shoreline. These impacts will vary based on the magnitude of erosion with exposure of foundation of buildings, destruction of buildings, coastal roads, harbors, jetties and beaches. Consequences related to essential facilities and property by erosion may include: • Loss of building function (e.g., damaged home will no longer be habitable, caus- ing residents to seek shelter) • Business/service interruption, causing an impact to the local economy as well as individual households Impact to Critical Infrastructure Impacts to critical infrastructure include broken, failed, or impassable roadways, bridges could fail or become impassable, causing risk to traffic, and possible washing away of jetties due to erosion. Consequences related to critical infrastructure following erosions may include: • Disruption in the transportation of goods • Disruption in the public transportation • Loss of tourism industry Impact to Environment Erosion can impact the environment greatly in Miami-Dade County. Plants and wildlife that depend on the coastal ecosystem will begin to decline with loss of habitat, as coastal September 2025 P1-66 ecosystems will deteriorate. Additionally, erosion can also impact the fishing industry as damage to areas of fish spawning will cause a major waning in commercial fishing. Consequences related to the environment following erosion may include: • Loss of habitat for plants and animals dependent on the coastal ecosystem • Decline in the fish population Previous Occurrences Erosion is an on-going threat, and although certain events like a hurricane or strong storm may increase erosion for a period, erosion continues to occur during calm periods. The long-term average erosion rates (over 40+ years) for our beaches are as follows: • Sunny Isles Beach - 10,800 CY/YR • Bal Harbour - 39,900 CY/YR • Surfside - 14,500 CY/YR • Miami Beach 65th Street Hotspot - 10,000 CY/YR • Miami Beach 55th Street Hotspot - 12,000 CY/YR • Miami Beach 44th Street Hotspot - 11,000 CY/YR • Miami Beach 27th Street Hotspot - 27,600 CY/YR November 2022 – Beach erosion losses after Hurricane Nicole were severe enough to trigger a Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) funding request. The Army Corps estimated the sand loss at 70,500 CY based on the Regulatory and Economic Resources DERM Water Management Division Beach Assessment Reports. September 2017 – Hurricane Irma caused some beach erosion throughout Miami-Dade County. The preliminary damage assessments estimated a loss of 170,000 cubic yards of sand. The money amount in damages has not been determined. October 2016 – Hurricane Matthew caused minor beach erosion, as it travelled north- ward parallel to Florida’s east coast. Miami-Dade County agencies and municipalities estimated close to $1M in damages due to coastal erosion. October 2012 – Hurricane Sandy never made landfall but paralleled the coast causing moderate to major beach erosion from central Florida southward to Miami-Dade County. There were reports of waves up to 10 feet in Miami-Dade. Hurricane Sandy was esti- mated to cause over $2M in damages to beaches including the following: September 2025 P1-67 • Miami Beach 26th – 29th Street – approxi- mately 10,000 cubic yards • Miami Beach 44th – 46th Street – approxi- mately 2,500 cubic yards • Miami Beach 53rd – 56th Street – approxi- mately 3,000 cubic yards • Miami Beach 63rd – 66th Street – approxi- mately 5,000 cubic yards • Bal Harbour 99th – 103rd Street – approxi- mately 2,600 cubic yards • Key Biscayne – unknown cubic yards esti- mated at $1.2M 26 October 2005 – Hurricane Wilma, caused in general only minor beach (Condition I) ero- sion to the majority of beaches in Miami-Dade but dune erosion (Condition II) occurred at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.27 No major structural damage was observed sea- ward of the Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) or within the Coastal Building Zone (CBZ). Most of the damage near the coast occurred north of Bakers Haulover Inlet. At Cape Florida, a concrete seawall and rock revetment sustained level three damage. September 2005 – Hurricane Rita caused only minor beach erosion (Condition I) north of Government Cut from Miami Beach to Broward County. Virginia Key also had minor beach erosion (Condition I) but also experienced overtopping, resulting in a wash over deposit of sand. Portions of Key Biscayne experience moderate beach and dune erosion (Condition III) and south of Sonesta Beach Resort had minor dune erosion (Condition II). No structural damages were sustained along the Miami-Dade County coast seaward of the CCCL or within the CBZ during the passage of Hurricane Rita. August 2005 – Hurricane Katrina caused minor beach erosion (Condition I) to the north- ern beaches in Miami-Dade. No structural damages were sustained along the Dade County coast seaward of the CCCL or within the CBZ; however, a number of single-family dwellings were flooded on Key Biscayne forcing their evacuation. 26 Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center Damages Report 27 Florida Department of Environmental Protection Post-Storm Reports September 2025 P1-68 Vulnerability Based on scores from the Hazard Impact Analysis found in the THIRA and summarized on the table below, Miami-Dade County has a medium overall vulnerability to droughts. *Vulnerability ratings take in consideration baseline vulnerabilities described in THIRA Volume 2 with ad- justment based on this specific hazard. Risk ratings consider probability & frequency, potential magnitude & scale, vulnerabilities, potential impacts, capabilities, and mitigation efforts related to this specific hazard. Physical Vulnerabilities The entire built environment (Critical Infrastructure, Key Resources, Building Stock) and natural environment (beaches) are vulnerable to erosion primarily along coastal areas. According to a GIS analysis there are approximately 500 parcels in the property appraiser database that intersect with the CCCL. Though the beaches have been fortified over the years and are much wider than they used to be, constant erosion could put structures in these areas at risk. The map to the right shows the status of erosion classifications for Miami-Dade County’s coastal areas. Severe erosion can exacerbate storm surge inun- dation by minimizing the protection offered by beaches and seawalls as they are compro- mised. Structures such as boardwalks or piers that have pilings in coastal areas may suffer collapse or complete destruction. Beaches in Miami-Dade, such as South Beach and Biscayne National Park, are cited as the number one reason tourists come to Miami- Dade. There are two piers in Miami-Dade County that extend into the Atlantic Ocean and Gov- ernment Cut, the Newport Beach Fishing Pier in Sunny Isles Beach and the South Pointe Pier in Miami Beach. The Newport Beach Pier was rebuilt and reopened in 2013 after being destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and the South Point Pier was rebuilt and reopened in 2014 after being closed in 2004 due to deterioration. September 2025 P1-69 Social Vulnerabilities This hazard does not tend to affect one population over another. Frequency/Probability Erosion is an ongoing threat in Miami-Dade County. Hurricanes increase the risk of ero- sion to an annual significant occurrence affecting at least some of our coastal areas. However, erosion can occur at any time. Projected erosion rates in Miami-Dade County’s coastline to increase, as beaches north of the Government Cut are already critically eroded. September 2025 P1-70 Flooding Description Global statistics show that floods are the most frequently recorded destructive events, accounting for about 30% of the world’s disasters each year. Flooding is a complicated hazard because there are many different factors that contribute to flooding. Also, there are several different types of flooding. Flooding is an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. It can happen during heavy rains or when ocean waves come onshore. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may happen with several feet of water. A single flooding incident can affect many different communities covering sev- eral states. TABLE 4. COMMON FLOOD TYPES Category Criteria River or Canal Overbank Flooding When water levels rise in a river due to excessive rain from tropical sys- tems making landfall, persistent thunderstorms over the same area for ex- tended periods of time. Ponding When water levels rise in a land locked area, lake or detention basin due to excessive rain from tropical systems making landfall, persistent thunder- storms over the same area for extended periods of time. In South Florida, some of the severe localized thunderstorms frequently exceed 3 inches/hour, exhausting the storage and infiltration capacity of the drain- age system. Coastal Flooding When a hurricane, tropical storm, or tropical depression produces a deadly storm surge that overwhelms coastal areas as it makes landfall. Storm surge is water pushed on shore by the force of the winds swirling around the storm. This advancing surge combines with the normal tides to create the hurricane storm tide, which can increase the average water level, 15 feet or more. The greatest natural disaster in the United States, in terms of loss of life, was caused by a storm surge and associated coastal flood- ing from the great Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900. At least 8,000 people lost their lives. Inland or Riverine Flooding When tropical cyclones move inland, they are typically accompanied by torrential rain. If the decaying storm moves slowly over land, it can pro- duce rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 inches over several days. Widespread flash flooding and river flooding can result. In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, in- land flooding was responsible for more than half of the deaths associated with tropical cyclones in the United States. The state of Florida has nearly 121,000 census blocks potentially threatened by riverine flooding, translat- ing to nearly $880 billion in property. Flash Flooding A rapid rise of water along a stream or low-lying urban area. Flash flood- ing occurs within six hours of a significant rain event and is usually caused by intense storms that produce heavy rainfall in a short amount of time. Excessive rainfall that causes rivers and streams to swell rapidly and September 2025 P1-71 Category Criteria overflow their banks is frequently associated with hurricanes and tropical storms, large clusters of thunderstorms, supercells, or squall lines. Other types of flash floods can occur from dam or levee failures. High Tide Flooding When local sea level temporarily rises above an identified threshold height for flooding, in the absence of storm surge or riverine flooding.28 High tide flooding, sometimes referred to as nuisance flooding, sunny-day flooding, or king tide flooding, is occurring more frequently every year as sea levels continue to rise. King Tides normally occur a few times per year. More se- vere flooding may result if King Tides coincide with bad weather conditions such as heavy rains, strong winds or big waves. Much of Miami-Dade County is susceptible to localized flooding, particularly during the rainy sea- son from June through October, see the map on this page. The mean elevation of Miami-Dade County is relatively low at 6 feet above mean sea level. The county’s flat terrain causes exten- sive “ponding” due to the lack of elevation gradients to facilitate “run-off”. Of Miami-Dade’s 1,250,287 acres, 44.62% of that is within the flood plain (557,871 acres). One area in particular ex- periences flooding on a regular basis. Known as the 8½ square mile area, it is located west of the L-31N Levee, between SW 104th Street on the north and SW 168th Street on the south. Our community is interlaced with an intricate system of canals that play an integral role in our ground- water saturation levels. When the levels are too high or the canal structures cannot be opened, this can lead to localized flooding dur- ing rain events. Agricultural inter- ests can be impacted by levels that are too high or too low. If the control structures 28 High-Tide Flooding: https://toolkit.climate.gov/high-tide-flooding September 2025 P1-72 release the fresh water at a rapid rate this can also lead to environmental concerns where the fresh water is released. When the control structures fail or are damaged and cannot be operated, alleviation of any localized flooding may require pumping until the canal structures can be re-opened or fixed. Inability to be able to close the salinity structures within the canals could also increase the risk of saltwater intrusion during high tide and storm surge. Part 5 of the LMS provide greater detail as to the canal system within the county and the relation to drainage basins. The most predominant type of flood hazard is Inland/Riverine. Table 6A-21 shows the percentage of the drainage system service areas subject to the different types of flood- ing. Considering that the most widespread type of flooding is Inland/Riverine, followed by Ponding, Miami-Dade County began the development of a countywide storm water man- agement program in 1992 for all Primary Canal Basins (see Map 6A-16). The Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) - Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) published the 2021 Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) Master Plan. The SWMP Master Plan update provides the most current representation of the behavior of the interconnected stormwater management system for existing and fu- ture hydrologic and hydraulic conditions for Miami-Dade County. The Master Plan pro- vides details of the numerical modeling used to evaluate the impact of sea level rise and climate change and addresses the protection of natural channels. It also provides a basis to develop an estimate for dedicated funding sources used for SWMP strategies. The SWMP Master Plan is in the process of being updated again for 2026. Location The entire county is vulnerable to flooding; however, some areas are more prone to flood- ing than others due to elevation levels and location within basins. The next map is an elevation map of the county showing the highest elevation areas in dark red and brown, referred to as “the ridge,” and the lowest elevation areas in blue. The maps after show the top 20 flooding problem service areas in each of the Canal Basins of Miami-Dade County. September 2025 P1-73 Source: Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience- Sea Level Rise Strategy Ch. 1 September 2025 P1-74 September 2025 P1-75 September 2025 P1-76 September 2025 P1-77 September 2025 P1-78 September 2025 P1-79 September 2025 P1-80 Extent Flooding, especially flash flooding, can occur any moment during any time period or sea- son. Flooding and storm surge from hurricanes and tropical storms is likely to occur during hurricane season (June 1 - November 30 in the Atlantic). Strong thunderstorms can also produce heavy flooding in a short period of time. Although storm surge presents the potential for loss of life, a study conducted from 1970 to 1999 by the National Hurricane Center found that freshwater flooding accounted for more than half (59%) of the tropical cyclone deaths in the United States. FEMA estimates that about 41% of Florida is flood prone, which is the highest percentage of all 50 states. Because of the potential for flood damage, Florida has the most flood insurance policies required by the National Flood Insurance Program than any other state. The extent of flooding varies depending on region, soil conditions, weather, and a large host of manmade factors such as land use and levees among others. Several factors can independently influence the cause-and-effect relation between rainfall and flooding. During large meteorological storms the term "100-year flood" may be used in an attempt to simplify the definition of a flood so severe that it statistically has a 1-percent chance of occurring in any given year. This percent is often misunderstood to mean that a 100-year flood refers to a flood that can only happen once every 100 years. However, a 100-year flood can occur in consecutive years despite that probability being very low. A universal method for classifying the extent of flooding events has not been adopted by the scientific community, but Miami-Dade County relies on the flood products issued by the NWS as well as the resulting damages reported to determine the severity of a flash flood event. Currently, the NWS local office issues flood advisories, watches, and warn- ings, which are described below. A. Flood Advisory – issued when forecast rainfall may result in street flooding (nuisance flooding), but no major impacts on roadways is expected. A Flood Advisory can be issued within an hour of expected conditions. B. Flood Watch – issued when there is a possibility of significant flooding that can lead to warning conditions. A Flood Watch can be issued within six (6) to 12 hours of expected conditions. C. Flood and Flash Flood Warning – issued when flooding is imminent or occurring, threatening, or entering structures and/or major roadways are being impacted (e.g., road closures). A Flood/Flash Flood Warning is issued within an hour of expected conditions. Additionally, Miami-Dade has created action categories for flood events based on rainfall forecasts which also serves as a scale of severity. September 2025 P1-81 Roadway Miami-Dade County Action Levels Inundation Localized Flood Events Due to Rainfall Note: some of these events may trigger evacuation calls by County Emergency Management Officials Matches up well with 2-3”/hour rate as guideline for Flood Advisory, with duration at least one hour. Flash Flood Warning: Greater than 3”/hour rate as guideline, lasting over an hour and keeping 24-hour amount of 6” or greater in mind. 1’ or greater roadway inundation considered as “flood”. Most local roadways are designed to handle 5-year 24-hour events (-7”). Most arterial roadways are de- signed to handle 10-year 24-hour events (-8.5”). Impact Impact to Miami-Dade County Residents A flooding event will most likely affect the disabled, elderly, homeless, transient, and low- income communities that reside in areas prone to flooding. Residents may be displaced depending on location and severity of the flooding. The elderly and disabled population may need evacuation assistance from flooding due to mobility issues. Transient groups may experience delays in travel and may not be aware of flooded areas. Although not exhaustive, the following is a list of potential social populations that may be more heavily affected by this hazard than other groups. • Low-Income/Poor • Transient • Children Forecast of Depth of Inun- daƟon above normal stage MDC Ac- Ɵon Cate- gories AcƟons Rainfall Inten- sity Forecast 24-h Rainfall Fore- cast Above 3.0’ Major Flood Stage Gate and pump operaƟons in flood mode; general evacuaƟon of resi- dents in the affected area. Over 6 inches/h Over 10 inches Between 1.0’ and 3.0’ Significant Flood Stage Gate and pump operaƟons in flood mode; evacuaƟon of older subdivi- sions and non-compliant struc- tures. Between 3in/h to 6 in/h Between 6 to 10 in From 0.5’ to 1.0’ Flood Stage Gate and pump operaƟons in flood mode; flood inspecƟons on all af- fected areas. From 2 in/h to 3 in/h From 4 to 6 in Between 0.0 and 0.5’ AcƟon Stage Review canal operaƟons; review of complaints and need for flood in- specƟons From 1 in/h to 2in/h From 2 to 4 in 0.0’ or less Below Flood Stage No AcƟon Less than 1 in/h Less than 2 in September 2025 P1-82 • Elderly Consequences for the public as a result of a flooding incident may include: • Temporary/permanent loss of employment/business income, causing an in- creased need for loans. • Temporary loss of water services/utilities, requiring alternate means to address immediate needs. • Temporary/permanent loss of residence, causing an increased need for shelter, short-term or long-term housing. • Temporary/permanent loss of transportation, causing a need for replacement or alternative forms of transportation. Impact to Essential Facilities and Other Property Essential facilities may experience an interruption in daily operations due to flooding caus- ing economic losses. For example, medical facilities, banks, and grocery stores may temporarily close due to flooding, which can even cause some electrical issues as well. Any physical structure located in a flooded area is likely to sustain some amount of dam- age. Consequences related to essential facilities and property following a flooding event may include: • Business/service interruption, causing an impact to the local economy as well as individual households. • Loss of building function (e.g., damaged homes will no longer be habitable, caus- ing residents to seek shelter). Impact to Critical Infrastructure All structures in flood prone areas are vulnerable to flooding. Critical Infrastructure in- cluding airports, waterways, utility services, police and fire operations all are impacted by flooding. The consequence will be dependent upon the location, scale, magnitude and extent of the incident in addition to the existing vulnerabilities and community conditions. Consequences related to critical infrastructure following a flooding event may include: • Disruption in the transportation of goods • Disruption in the public transportation • Shortage of fuel or other essential materials • Loss of power due to power outage Impact to Environment Flooding can significantly impact the environment. It can uproot trees, kill plants, and erode sediment. Floodwater running into bodies of water can affect water quality, create algae, and damage ecosystems. Farms may feel the impact of flooding before the gen- eral population, depending on where the crops are located in a flood zone. September 2025 P1-83 Consequences related to the environment following a flooding event may include: • Reduced crop, rangeland, and forest productivity • Contaminated drinking water • Alter landscapes leading to unhabitable locations • Increased livestock and wildlife mortality rates • Damage to wildlife and fish habitat Previous Occurrences June 11-13, 2024 – A plume of deep tropical moisture streamed into South Florida during the week of June 10 through 15th as the region remained south of a stationary boundary and near a weak tropical disturbance. Multiple mesoscale convective systems developed to the south of this boundary over Central Florida and gradually pivoted southward into South Florida during the morning and afternoon hours of June 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2024. With a very moist and warm atmospheric composition, rainfall rates were efficient and tropical in nature. Flooding from the heavy rainfall event lingered for several days across portions of NE Miami-Dade County. This included neighborhoods across Miami Beach, Miami Shores, North Miami, North Miami Beach, and Aventura. A total of 34 people re- quired evacuation from vehicles stalled in deep flood waters. Damage assessments re- port 160 structures with major damage, and 81 with minor damage. A maximum 2-day rainfall total of 20 was recorded in Sunny Isles Beach, with 10-20 inches from Miami Shores and Miami Beach to North Miami and Aventura. Total damages were estimated at 3.8 million. November 15, 2023 – A strengthening low-pressure system moving across the Florida Keys brought widespread heavy rainfall to much of South Florida from the afternoon of November 15th to the early morning hours of November 16th. Numerous reports of standing water, stranded vehicles, and road closures in the downtown Miami area due to heavy rainfall after continuous rounds of showers moved across the area. Several roads had 6-12 inches of standing water and stranded vehicles, including Biscayne Boulevard near Northeast 6th Street in Miami, Brickell Avenue near Southeast 14th Street in Brickell, and Alton Road near Interstate-195 in Miami Beach. There were no reports of structures being impacted. Up to 8 inches of rain was estimated to have fallen in the area within a 3-hour period, with 12-hour rainfall amounts of 10-12 inches. June 19, 2023 – A warm and moist S to SW wind flow combined with low pressure aloft over the SE United States led to the development of afternoon showers and thunder- storms across SE Florida, some of which were severe over Miami-Dade County. West Flagler Street was reported almost impassable between NW 82nd Avenue and NW 84th Avenue with multiple stalled cars along the street. Other reports indicated southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway flooded, as well as the exit ramp from State Road 836 (Dolphin Expressway) to the Palmetto Expressway. Rainfall estimates of 4 to 5 inches in the area during the time of the flooding. September 2025 P1-84 April 10, 2023 – Lingering moisture from a cold front passage and coastal convergence supported the development of scattered showers and thunderstorms the afternoon of April 10th. There were numerous rounds of heavy downpours across the eastern metro corridor. The City of Miami Police Department reported flooding across multiple road- ways in downtown Miami due to heavy rainfall in the area. Several cars were stranded along secondary streets near I-395 near Biscayne Boulevard. Measured rainfall in the area was between 3-5 inches, most of it falling in 4 hours or less. June 9, 2022 – Moist south to southwest wind flow continued to provide the necessary ingredients for heavy showers and thunderstorms to form across SE Florida during the afternoon. Saturated grounds from previous rainfall contributed to the flash flooding. Media reported significant street and neighborhood flooding in Cutler Bay, mainly along Old Cutler Road from SW 216 Street to SW 224 Street, as well as in Silver Palms near SW 232 Street and SW 112 Avenue. Cars were reported to be stranded and water reaching the upper part of car tires. Observed rainfall was as high as 4 inches in this area, most of which fell in less than 2 hours and aggravated pre-existing flooding in the area from recent heavy rainfall. May 29, 2022 – A mid/upper-level low pressure area over the eastern Gulf of Mexico helped to draw high moisture levels across South Florida. Light winds and the formation of sea breezes helped to focus numerous showers and thunderstorms over the interior and eastern parts of South Florida, causing gusty thunderstorm winds, hail, and flooding over parts of the area. Significant flooding was reported in Hialeah. Water covered mul- tiple lanes of the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) near W 49th Street, rising to the base of vehicles. Water also rose to the base of an SUV's door in a nearby residential street, with water over 6 inches deep on the street. Measured rainfall in the area was between 3-5 inches, most of it falling in 2 hours or less. November 18, 2021 – A mid-upper-level disturbance across the FL Straits continued to push northward towards South FL which allowed for a deepening moist layer across the Florida east coast. This favored widespread showers and thunderstorms with gusty wind, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Significant flooding was reported across the down- town and midtown areas of Miami. Significant flooding of roadways with stalled vehicles in the flood waters along the Biscayne Boulevard corridor from NE 15th Street to NE 9th Street. Rainfall measurements from nearby rain gauges was around 3 inches, most of which fell in a very short period. September 13, 2020 – A low pressure system, turned tropical disturbance, moving across the western Atlantic and over the Bahamas abruptly formed into Tropical De- pression Nineteen on September 11th. Tropical Depression Nineteen gradually contin- ued westward and the center passed about 10 to 20 miles SSE of Miami, Florida during the morning of September 12th. As Tropical Depression Nineteen moved westward over the South Florida peninsula, it continued to strengthen into a Tropical Storm known as Tropical Storm Sally. Rainfall flooding impacts were moderate to significant across South Florida with around 3 to almost 8 inches across portions of Miami-Dade County. September 2025 P1-85 Several broadcast media reports of significant street flooding from Coconut Grove to Brickell and Downtown Miami, and possibly extending into Little Havana. U.S. Highway 1 in Coconut Grove and Brickell was covered in water up to knee-high in places, leading to a number of stalled vehicles. August 15, 2019 – Thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall that measured over 7 inches in about 3 hours across portions of Kendall. This heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding which resulted in water intrusions in numerous structures and impassable road- ways.29 October 3-7, 2017 – A combination of high tide and heavy rainfall led to flooding across portions of Miami-Dade County. There were reports of coastal and street flooding in the vicinity of Biscayne Blvd from I-395 to NE 30th Street. August 24-27, 2017 – A tropical wave (Invest 97L) was located near the central Bahamas on August 21st, 2017 and forecast to move northwestward over Florida. Wind shear and dry air hindered further development of this system, but the National Weather Service forecast an excessive rainfall threat for the remainder of the week. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with locally higher amounts possible, were forecast for the region. As a result, a Flood Watch was in effect for Miami-Dade County from August 24th through the 27th. Between August 24th and 26th, rainfall amounts ranged between 1 and 4 inches through the county. Rainfall amounts of up to 4.5 inches were recorded in the northeast portion of the county between August 26th and 28th. The only significant report received by the National Weather Service was of Okeechobee Road flooded in Hialeah and a spotter in the area recorded 6.62 inches of rain in a single afternoon on August 27th. August 1, 2017 – Tropical Storm Emily formed west of Tampa Bay on July 31st, and moved across central Florida, just north of Lake Okeechobee. On August 1st, Tropical Storm Emily was located over the Atlantic and moving away from Florida. Although no direct impacts were reported for Miami-Dade County, a trough extending from the tropical system was over southeastern Florida. A combination of the frontal boundary and day- time heating, a band of thunderstorms developed off the coast and moved west. At around 2 pm, the band became nearly stationary over Miami Beach, Key Biscayne and Downtown Miami. A Flash Flood Warning was issued at 3:47pm until 9:45pm. Later in the afternoon, the same band of thunderstorms redeveloped over The Redland, Kendall, Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest area. Rainfall amounts in these areas ranged between 4 and 6 inches with isolated amounts between 7 and 8 inches. The rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches an hour lasted 2 to 3 hours, and around the same time as high tide. Significant flooding was reported in Miami Beach and the Brickell area in the City of Mi- ami. Vehicles were stalled in streets with up to 2 feet of water and some streets had to 29 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Storm Events Data- base: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ September 2025 P1-86 be closed due to deep standing water. In Miami Beach, 1 to 2 feet of water was reported on streets in South Beach including Purdy Avenue, West Avenue, Alton Road, Pennsyl- vania Avenue, Meridian Avenue, Collins Avenue, Washington Avenue and Indian Creek Drive. Water entered business, homes, apartment lobbies and parking garages. In Mary Brickell Village, more than 10 businesses and buildings had 1 to 4 inches of water inside the structures. June 7, 2017 – An area of low pressure over the Gulf of Mexico, brought tropical moisture across South Florida during the week of June 5th. Widespread showers and thunder- storms, with the potential of heavy rainfall was forecast for the rest of the week. On June 7th, a Flood Watch was issued for Miami-Dade County until 8 pm. Aside from minor flood- ing on roadways, no significant issued were reported. December 2015 – A cold front moved into South Florida during on December 3rd, and stalled across the far southern end of the peninsula and upper Florida Keys on Decem- ber 4th and 5th. Several rounds of heavy rainfall fell across Southern Miami-Dade County. Rainfall amounts near 15 inches fell across Homestead, the Redlands, and western Kendall, with four (4) to eight (8) inches reported across the remainder of Mi- ami-Dade County, most of which occurred on December 5th. This rainfall led to signifi- cant flooding in Miami-Dade County with numerous road closures and cars stalling in flood waters. An estimated $1 Million in damage impacted the County’s fall and winter crops and also resulted in multiple day closures at Zoo Miami.30 30 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Storm Events Data- base: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ September 2025 P1-87 June 7-8, 2013 – On June 6th, Tropical Storm Andrea made landfall in northern Florida, but southern Florida received torren- tial rain from the tail of the storm. A South Florida Water Manage- ment District rain gauge rec- orded 13.15 inches of rain in North Miami Beach at 5:53 PM EDT with storm total at the same gauge by 9 PM EDT recording 13.94 inches. Other rainfall re- ports received were 11.71 inches at the FIU Biscayne Cam- pus in North Miami Beach and 9.89 inches at North Miami/Key- stone Point. Over 50 vehicles were reported as being stranded in impassable roads in Aventura and additional roads had similar problems in North Miami and Golden Beach. The picture to the right, shows 72-hour rainfall amounts ending on the morning of June 9th, 2013. Vulnerability Based on scores from the Hazard Impact Analysis found in the THIRA and summarized on the table below, Miami-Dade County has a high overall vulnerability to flooding. September 2025 P1-88 *Vulnerability ratings take in consideration baseline vulnerabilities described in THIRA Volume 2 with ad- justment based on this specific hazard. Risk ratings consider probability & frequency, potential magnitude & scale, vulnerabilities, potential impacts, capabilities, and mitigation efforts related to this specific hazard. Physical Vulnerabilities The entire built environment (Critical Infrastructure, Key Resources, Building Stock) may be vulnerable to flooding especially in low lying, storm surge planning zones, areas close to canals and structures that were built prior to flood plain regulations. Structures in areas where there has been repetitive losses and no mitigation may also be at a higher risk but past flooding events do not necessarily indicate future flooding problems. Part 5 provides additional analysis of residential structures by date of flood regulations within Miami-Dade County. On the following page is a chart showing how many structures within each jurisdiction are within FEMA Flood Zones. September 2025 P1-89 TABLE 5. NUMBER OF BUILDINGS BY JURISDICTION IN FEMA FLOOD ZONES Jurisdiction A AE AH D VE X Aventura 24,861 172 Bal Harbour 642 3,192 Bay Harbor 2,906 Biscayne Park 1,116 93 Coral Gables 2,977 1,414 65 16,097 Cutler Bay 8,902 2,009 4,343 Doral 166 7,311 19,729 El Portal 10 111 755 Florida City 2 21 1,899 2,072 Golden Beach 269 136 Hialeah 4,478 21,569 40,678 Hialeah Gardens 139 429 5,895 Homestead 770 12,137 9,556 Indian Creek Village 51 20 Key Biscayne 7,298 Medley 9 456 1,159 City of Miami 51,416 7,084 3,864 84,868 Miami Beach 51,701 3,939 Miami Gardens 14,024 20,227 Miami Lakes 8,934 1,341 Miami Shores 843 24 3,277 Miami Springs 48 2,338 2,486 North Bay Village 3,659 North Miami 8,579 139 8,580 North Miami Beach 6,458 8,285 Opa-Locka 951 569 3,104 Palmetto Bay 4,802 44 3,857 Pinecrest 2,260 67 4,618 South Miami 1 825 3,977 Sunny Isles Beach 11,971 1 7,719 Surfside 1,562 1,767 Sweetwater 11 3,410 1,103 Virginia Gardens 132 592 West Miami 1,823 Unincorporated 921 53,113 113,619 1 100 217,268 TOTAL 923 233,368 164,534 1 4,172 438,347 September 2025 P1-90 Heavy rainfall events tend to be measured by the amount of rain during a certain duration to give you what would equate to the chances of this type of storm which is typically categorized by terminology such as a 100 year or 500-year storm. To help local communities determine if a rain event is considered significant the following site and chart from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hydro meteorological Design Studies Center maintains the Precipitation Frequency Data Server (PFDS) which is a point-and-click interface developed to deliver NOAA Atlas 14 precipi- tation frequency estimates and associated information. To determine the amounts and rates of rain that could create a various internal rain event (e.g. 100 year or 500 year) this website provides local information. http://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/pfds_map_cont.html?bkmrk=fl Social Vulnerabilities People who live in areas prone to flooding and who may be uninsured or underinsured are at greatest risk. The cost of insurance may be prohibitive and people who live outside of a flood zone may believe they are not at risk. People who rent properties may not be aware of their flood risk as it may not be disclosed by the owner or they may not know the history of the area. Frequency/Probability There have been 47 recorded flooding events in Miami-Dade County since 2015, aver- aging out to approximately six and a half per year. Each flooding event lasted for multiple days. As a result of sea level rise, flooding from just high tide events is becoming more common and has even caused the National Weather Service to issue a coastal flood warning from a 2013 high tide event in Miami-Dade. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor and, therefore, can result in heavier and more long-lasting rainfall events. The expected global pattern is for arid areas to get drier and moist areas to get wetter. Where precipitation is enhanced, strong storms are ex- pected to get stronger with the result that rainfall events with a given recurrence fre- quency, e.g. the 25-year storm, will happen more often. September 2025 P1-91 Hurricanes and Tropical Storms Description A tropical cyclone is a collection of weather systems classified by the varying wind speeds and intensities, including tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane. Tropical weather systems form over subtropical or tropical waters with lowered pressure and the combination of wind circulation at the center. A tropical depression is a weather system with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained surface winds between 23 mph – 38 mph. A tropical storm develops from a tropical depression, and has a well-defined surface circulation and maximum sustained surface winds of 39 mph – 73 mph. A hurricane develops from a tropical storm. The term hurricane is used for tropical cy- clones in the Northern Hemisphere and east of the International Dateline. A hurricane is a weather system with well-defined surface circulation and maximum sustained surface winds of 74 mph or higher. Hurricanes are considered one of the most damaging and deadly weather events that occur in the United States, with violent winds, waves reaching heights of 40 feet, torrential rains, and flooding. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) there are an average 11 tropical storms that form over the Atlantic Ocean, Car- ibbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico regions each year, and on average 6 of the tropical storms develop into hurricanes. The United States experiences a hurricane strike on land about once every year and a half. The strike zone can potentially extend anywhere from Maine to South Texas. Hurricanes are classified according to the strength of the winds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The scale is a ranking system from 1 – 5, with 5 being the most severe. The scale also provides examples of the type of damage and impacts in the United States. It is important to recognize that the Saffir-Simpson scale is solely based on wind speed, and not storm surge. The following table shows the Saffir-Simpson Scale: September 2025 P1-92 Storm Surge From a hurricane, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property along the coast. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tide. Storm surge is produced when the force of the winds moving around the storm push water towards the shore and this surge can travel several miles inland.31 Predictions for storm surge are made through a variety of means, includ- ing the Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) models. 31 National Hurricane Center, Storm Surge Overview September 2025 P1-93 Storm surge inundation is modeled in two zones: the high-velocity zone where wave ac- tion and debris can severely damage structures, and farther inland, where the primary concern is flooding as opposed to structural damage. Storm surge can create flooding that can destroy buildings and carry debris miles inland, into canals and rivers, the inter- costal waterways and out to sea. The water can also pool in low-lying areas impeding response and recovery activities. Damages associated with storm surge include but are not limited to: • Extreme flooding in coastal areas • Inundation along rivers and canals • Beach erosion • Undermining of foundations of structures or roadways along the coastline (erosion or scour) • In confined harbors and rivers, severely damaged marinas and boats • Sunken vessels or underwater hazards in navigable waterways Location The entire County is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. In 2010 The State of Florida provided new Sea Lake Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) data to Miami- Dade County that included higher resolution basin data and grid configurations. Faster computer speeds allowed additional hypothetical storms to be run for creation of the max- imum potential storm surge values for each category of storms. The State also mapped the areas using remote-sensing laser terrain mapping (Light Imaging Detection and Rang- ing) (LIDAR). September 2025 P1-94 Figure 5. 50 year return for maximum sustained winds (Left) & Potential storm surge for storms modeled within the Biscayne Bay basin (right) Extent The most recent Category 5 hurricane to hit Miami-Dade County was Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 – November 30; the peak of the season is from mid-August to late October. The majority of hurricanes and tropical storms occur during this time period, however storms can form before or after the season. Most hurricanes live no more than a few weeks. They will break apart within a few days upon traveling over cold water or land. Hurricanes and tropical storms can usually be predicted several days before making land- fall. A tropical storm or hurricane watch is issued 48 hours in advance of anticipated onset of tropical storm or hurricane force winds; dangerous conditions are possible within the specified area. A tropical storm or hurricane warning is issued 36 hours in advance of anticipated tropical storm or hurricane force winds; dangerous conditions are expected within the specified area. This advance warning time allows for the community to prepare for the potential event and engage in protective measures to reduce the impact. September 2025 P1-95 Impact Impact to Miami-Dade County Residents Because Miami-Dade County has the highest likelihood in the state for being hit by a hurricane, the entire county population is vulnerable. Specifically, mobile/manufactured home residents, electric dependent, functional needs and persons who may not have adequate resources to protect their homes or access to evacuation resources are at greatest risk for this hazard. Visitors and persons who are new to this area may also be more vulnerable as they may not be familiar with what to do in case an evacuation order is given. Prolonged power outages and gas shortages cause additional challenges to businesses and service providers and can disproportionately impact persons who rely upon regular home services such as medical services or food delivery. Consequences related to the public following a hurricane or tropical storm may include: • Temporary/permanent loss of employment/business income, causing an increased need for loans • Temporary loss of water services/utilities, requiring alternate means to address im- mediate needs • Increased need for medical care, causing a potential surge at local hospitals • Temporary/permanent loss of residence, causing an increased need for shelter, short-term or long-term housing Impact to Essential Facilities and Other Property The entire built environment (Critical Infrastructure, Key Resources, and Building Stock) may be vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms due to wind, rain and/or storm surge damages. Structures that do not have impact resistant features or protection that can be installed may be more vulnerable to winds. Mobile/manufactured homes and high-rise buildings may also be more vulnerable to wind impacts. Coastal areas and areas along canals and rivers, as depicted in the storm surge map, may be more vulnerable to surge. Coastal areas are at greater risk for high velocity surge and erosion. Low lying areas are more vulnerable to flooding if a storm brings a lot of rain. Uprooted trees can cause damages to underground and overhead utilities. Hurricanes and tropical storms may also cause flying debris that cause additional damages. These storms can also impact natural and agricultural resources as well, causing severe coastal erosion and flooding or wind damage to agricultural assets. The extent of debris and infrastructure outages and resto- ration times can complicate and increase response and recovery timelines. Consequences related to essential facilities and property following a hurricane or tropical storm may include: • Business/service interruption, causing an impact to the local economy as well as in- dividual households. • Loss of building function (e.g., damaged homes will no longer be habitable, causing residents to seek shelter). September 2025 P1-96 Impact to Critical Infrastructure During a hurricane or tropical storm, the types of infrastructure that could be impacted include roadways, utility lines/pipes, railroads, and bridges. Because the county’s entire infrastructure is equally vulnerable, it is important to emphasize that any number of these structures could become damaged during a hurricane or tropical storm. The impacts to these structures include broken, failed, or impassable roadways, broken or failed utility lines (e.g., loss of power or gas to community), and railway failure from broken or impass- able railways. Bridges could fail or become impassable, causing risk to traffic. Consequences related to critical infrastructure following a hurricane or tropical storm may include: • Disruption in the transportation of goods • Disruption in the public transportation • Shortage of fuel or other essential materials Impact to Environment Hurricanes and tropical storms play a significant role on the impact of the environment. The strong winds and flooding that this natural hazard produces can uproot plants, harm wildlife, and devastating natural landscape. These storms can damage or destroy energy, chemical, gas facilities, and other businesses that can cause a release of harmful con- taminants. Consequences related to the environment following a hurricane or tropical storm may include: • Trees and plants can be uprooted and diseases in the soil are spread, impacting wildlife and their habitat. • Polluted waters cause unsafe drinkable water. • Increased livestock and wildlife mortality rates. September 2025 P1-97 Previous Occurrences August 2020 – A low pressure system moving across the tropical Atlantic into the eastern Caribbean Sea formed into Tropical Storm Isaias on July 28th. While the system briefly became a hurricane near Great Inagua Island on July 30th, it was downgraded back to a Tropical Storm as it moved over Andros Island on August 1st with a minimum central pressure of 993 mb. Isaias gradually turned to the N-NW and the center passed about 30-40 miles east of the Palm Beach County coast during the morning of August 2nd with a minimum central pressure of 995 mb and maximum sustained winds of 65 to 70 mph. Sustained Tropical Storm force winds were felt across portions of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties. Rainfall flooding impacts were minor across South Florida with 2 to 2.6 inches measured mainly across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Almost 3,000 customers lost power during the event, almost all of them in Palm Beach County. October 2017 – Tropical Storm Philippe was a disorganized storm as it moved across the Florida Straits on October 28th, making landfall in extreme South Florida along the Florida Bay on October 29th as a minimal tropical storm. The storm brought widespread rainfall across all South Florida, with average amounts of 2 to 4 inches across the region. The wind impacts of Philippe were limited to the east coast of South Florida. This storm produced maximum sustained winds generally be- tween 25 and 35 mph across Miami-Dade County on October 28th. A peak gust of 41 mph was measured at Miami International Airport. Minor tree damage was reported across the area, with no significant property damage reported.32 September 2017 – On August 30th, Tropical Storm Irma formed over the eastern Atlan- tic Ocean with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. As the day progressed, Tropical Storm Irma continued strengthening and was expected to become a hurricane the fol- lowing day. Irma’s rapid intensification began in the early morning of August 31st, when the maximum sustained winds increased from 70 mph to 115 mph in less than 12 hours. Hurricane Irma, now a category 3 storm, continued its track across the Atlantic Ocean, as it headed towards the Leeward Islands. In the afternoon of September 4th, Miami- Dade County was within the 5-day forecast cone of a major hurricane. Due to the po- tentially catastrophic hurricane heading to Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade DEM initi- ated preparations and activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Septem- ber 5th. By the evening, Miami-Dade County was within the 3-day forecast cone. In the morning of September 5th, less than 300 miles east of the Leeward Islands, Irma became a category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. Catastrophic Hurricane Irma reached its peak strength later that day, with maximum sustained winds 32 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, Storm Events Data- base: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ September 2025 P1-98 of 185 mph. For the next couple of days, Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands at its peak intensity caus- ing catastrophic damage. Hurricane Irma continued its course through the Caribbean causing widespread damage in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Cuba. At 11pm on September 7th, Miami-Dade County was under a Hurricane Warn- ing and Storm Surge Warning. On Sunday, September 10th, category 4 Hurricane Irma made its first Florida landfall at Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys at 9:10am. Hurricane Irma continued its northward track and made its second Florida landfall at Marco Island at 3:35pm as a category 3 hurricane. Widespread wind damage, heavy rainfall and storm surge was reported throughout Miami-Dade County. Hurricane and tropical storm force sustained winds were measured throughout the county and resulted in mostly tree damage. Rainfall amounts from September 9th through September 11th were between 5 and 10 inches. Recorded storm surge on Biscayne Bay (from south of Miami to Homestead) was between 4 and 6 feet, and on the east coast was between 2 and 4 feet. Also, an estimated $255 M in agricultural damage was reported in the county. Hurricane Irma was the first hurricane to make landfall in South Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. October 2016 – In the morning of September 28th, 2016, Tropical Storm Matthew formed over the Windward Islands with a high potential of strengthening. Matthew continued a westward track through the Caribbean and strengthening into a hurricane the next day on September 29th. On the forecast track, Hurricane Matthew would move west followed by a northwest turn and a then continue a northward track through western Haiti and eastern Cuba. On the evening of September 30th, Miami-Dade County was within the 5-day fore- cast cone of Category 5 Hurricane Matthew. Two days later, Miami-Dade County was not within the cone, but Miami-Dade DEM continued to be vigilant due to the storm’s track potential to shift west. On Monday, October 3rd, the forecast track took a drastic westward shift putting Miami-Dade County within the 3-day forecast cone of a major hurricane. The following day, Miami-Dade County was under a Tropical Storm Warning. Ultimately, the county was affected by the outside bands of Hurricane Matthew, as it con- tinued its paralleled track along the Florida east coast. Rainfall amounts of up to 1.5 inches were recorded throughout the County. Although, no significant damage was re- ported, Miami-Dade agencies and municipalities estimated $10M for public assistance eligible categories. August 2012 – Tropical Storm Isaac moved across the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade experienced a storm surge measured at 1.3 feet and sustained winds measuring 29 mph at the Miami International Airport. In a 72-hour period portions of the county received between 2-10 inches of rain. Wind damage in southern Florida was minor and mostly limited to downed trees and power lines.33 Approximately 26,000 customers lost power in Miami-Dade. There was no Presidential Declaration for damages within Miami-Dade. 33 National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Isaac (AL092012) September 2025 P1-99 Miami-Dade agencies and municipalities estimated $5.5 M for public assistance eligible categories.34 October 2012 – Hurricane Sandy never made landfall locally, but paralleled the coast causing coastal erosion with reports of waves up to 10 feet in Miami-Dade. There was no Presidential Declaration for damages within Miami-Dade. It was estimated by the Mi- ami-Dade Regulatory and Economic Resources Department that there was approxi- mately $2M in damages from coastal erosion.35 October 2005 – Hurricane Wilma, made landfall in southwestern Florida on October 24th as a Category 3, crossing Florida in less than 5 hours.36 Wilma caused structural damage from hurricane force winds out to the west and southwest. Widespread light to moderate wind damage was sustained throughout the county. In downtown Miami, numerous high- rise office buildings were severely impacted by hurricane force winds. The Miami Metromover was closed due to falling debris from a neighboring high-rise building. Power outages occurred county-wide for three weeks due to damaged power lines and utility poles. Power losses to service station fuel pumps caused a major but temporary impact on recovery operations. Wind damage to trees and shrubs (native and ornamental) was extensive throughout the county. Ficus trees and Australian Pines sustained most of the tree damage, while palms appeared to fare well. Throughout the Biscayne Bay area there was significant marine damage. Many boats were blown up into bulkheads, docks, and overpasses. Some vessels were freed from their moorings and deposited hundreds of feet from where they were originally docked. The Port of Miami sustained damage to roughly 2,000 feet of bulkheads and a cruise terminal lost a section of its roof. The Sunny Isles Marina dry storage facility collapsed, damaging close to 300 vessels. Numerous docks and pilings throughout the county were severely damaged by the battering of ves- sels that were moored to them. On the barrier islands, there was sporadic minor to mod- erate wind damage to ocean front high-rise condominiums, low-rise motels, commercial buildings, and single-family dwellings. The typical wind damages were broken windows, damaged hurricane shutters, and minor roofing losses. August 2005 – Hurricane Katrina, made landfall in Miami-Dade County on August 25th. Rainfall amounts were excessive across portions of south Miami-Dade County causing flooding of structures, vehicles, crop lands and nurseries. A maximum storm total amount of 16.33 inches, of which 15.10 inches fell in a 24-hour period, was measured by a coop- erative observed in Perrine. Other heavy storm total amounts in south Miami-Dade County included 14.04 inches at Homestead Air Reserve Base, 12.25 inches near Florida City and 11.13 inches near Cutler Ridge. Most of the remainder of metropolitan Miami- Dade County generally received rain amounts of two to four inches. Total damage in south Florida was estimated at around $100 million. Between 100 and 200 houses suf- fered significant damage, mainly in south Miami-Dade County due to flooding. Wind 34 Miami-Dade County EOC Activation Archive 35 Miami-Dade County EOC Activation Archive 36 National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Wilma September 2025 P1-100 damage was mainly to vegetation, signs, and watercraft. Winds and flooding combined caused an estimated $423 million in losses to agriculture and nurseries. A total of six persons are known to have died directly because of the winds and water, all in Miami- Dade County. Three of those were associated with drowning, two on boats and one under unknown circumstances. August 1992 – Hurricane Andrew, which was reclassified as a Category 5 in 2002, made landfall in Miami-Dade County on August 24th, 1992. Damage was estimated at $25 bil- lion, with 25,524 homes destroyed and 101,241 damaged. 90% of all mobile homes in the southern portion of the county were destroyed. The Miami Herald reported $.5 billion losses for boats. The powerful seas extensively damaged offshore structures, including the artificial reef system.37 TABLE 6A-42 PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM EVENTS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY Disaster Type Disaster Number Title Incident Begin Date Declaration Date Incident End Date Disaster Close Out Date DR 209 HURRICANE BETSY 9/14/1965 9/14/1965 9/14/1965 5/18/1967 DR 955 HURRICANE ANDREW 8/24/1992 8/24/1992 8/25/1992 5/5/2009 EM 3131 HURRICANE GRORGES 9/25/1998 9/25/1998 10/2/1998 5/5/2009 EM 3143 HURRICANE FLOYD EMER- GENCY DECLARATIONS 9/14/1999 9/14/1999 9/16/1999 5/15/2012 DR 1306 FL-HURRICANE IRENE-DR-REQ 10/14/1999 10/20/1999 10/24/1999 EM 3150 TROPICAL STORM IRENE 10/14/1999 10/15/1999 10/19/1999 4/26/2010 DR 1539 TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HURRICANE CHARLEY 8/11/2004 8/13/2004 8/30/2004 DR 1545 HURRICANE FRANCES 9/3/2004 9/4/2004 10/8/2004 DR 1561 HURRICANE JEANNE 9/24/2004 9/26/2004 11/17/2004 DR 1602 HURRICANE KATRINA 8/24/2005 8/28/2005 9/6/2005 EM 3220 HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUA- TION 8/29/2005 9/5/2005 10/1/2005 7/3/2012 EM 3259 TROPICAL STORM RITA 9/18/2005 9/20/2005 10/23/2005 DR 1609 HURRICANE WILMA 10/23/2005 10/24/2005 11/18/2005 EM 3377 HURRICANE MATHEW 10/3/2016 10/6/2016 10/19/2016 DR 4337 HURRICANE IRMA 9/4/2017 9/10/2017 10/18/2017 EM 3385 HURRICANE IRMA 9/4/2017 9/5/2017 10/18/2017 EM 3419 HURRICANE DORIAN 8/28/2019 8/30/2019 9/9/2019 37 National Hurricane Center, Preliminary Report Hurricane Andrew September 2025 P1-101 Disaster Type Disaster Number Title Incident Begin Date Declaration Date Incident End Date Disaster Close Out Date EM 3533 HURRICANE ISAIAS 7/31/2020 8/1/2020 8/4/2020 DR 4680 HURRICANE NICOLE 11/7/2022 12/13/2022 11/30/2022 DR 4673 HURRICANE IAN 9/23/2022 9/29/2022 11/4/2022 DR 4834 HURRICANE MILTON 10/5/2024 10/11/2024 11/2/2024 Source: data.gov, FEMA Disaster Declarations Summary Vulnerability Based on scores from the Hazard Impact Analysis found in the THIRA and summarized on the table below, Miami-Dade County has a high overall vulnerability to hurricanes. *Vulnerability ratings take in consideration baseline vulnerabilities described in THIRA Volume 2 with ad- justment based on this specific hazard. Risk ratings consider probability & frequency, potential magnitude & scale, vulnerabilities, potential impacts, capabilities, and mitigation efforts related to this specific hazard. Physical Vulnerabilities The entire built environment (Critical Infrastructure, Key Resources, and Building Stock) may be vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms due to wind, rain and/or storm surge damages. Structures that do not have impact resistant features or protection that can be installed may be more vulnerable to winds. Homes that were built under older building codes and standards may be more vulnerable to wind damages. Per the HAZUS con- ducted by the State of Florida in 2018, Miami-Dade has the following physical vulnerabil- ities. HAZUS estimates that in 2019 there are 575,844 buildings in the region which have an aggregate total replacement value of $213 billion. Table 8 presents the relative distribu- tion of value with respect to the general types of occupancies. September 2025 P1-102 Coastal areas and areas along canals and rivers, as depicted in the storm surge map, are more vulnerab