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Local Communities To Federal Government: This Is How You Can Help Us Deal With Climate Change

Oakley and Casey Jones, tourists from Idaho Falls, navigate the flooded streets of Miami Beach as they enter their hotel during a king tide in 2015.
Emily Michot
/
Miami Herald
Oakley and Casey Jones, tourists from Idaho Falls, navigate the flooded streets of Miami Beach as they enter their hotel during a king tide in 2015.

The federal government should do more to help local governments prepare for climate change, according to a report released Thursday.

 

released a Roadmap to Support Local Climate Resilience identifying eight ways the federal government can help local resiliency efforts. It stems from discussions at the 2015 nonpartisan Rising Tides Summit, which brought together  36 federal and local officials, including Coral Gables Mayor Jim Cason, the then Pinecrest mayor Cindy Lerner and commissioners from the city of Hollywood, and Broward and Palm Beach counties.

 

Cason spoke with reporters Wednesday on a call about the report's recommendations. He pointed out that it has been more than a decade since Coral Gables has been hit by a hurricane, and the federal government hasn't done much to help with resiliency planning for future storms or sea level rise.

 

"The federal government will jump in when you've been slammed," he said, "but no money comes your way to prepare."

 

The report addresses that concern: one of the eight recommendations is that federal officials increase incentives for pre-disaster resilience. Other advice include promoting nature-based resiliency initiatives, expanding public-private resiliency partnerships, and prioritizing support for vulnerable communities like small towns and low-income areas.

 

You can read the full report, including the list of eight policy recommendations, here:

 

 

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Kate Stein can't quite explain what attracts her to South Florida. It's more than just the warm weather (although this Wisconsin native and Northwestern University graduate definitely appreciates the South Florida sunshine). It has a lot to do with being able to travel from the Everglades to Little Havana to Brickell without turning off 8th Street. It's also related to Stein's fantastic coworkers, whom she first got to know during a winter 2016 internship.Officially, Stein is WLRN's environment, data and transportation journalist. Privately, she uses her job as an excuse to rove around South Florida searching for stories à la Carl Hiaasen and Edna Buchanan. Regardless, Stein speaks Spanish and is always thrilled to run, explore and read.