How are we making Martin County more resilient?
On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, we hosted two Facebook Live events to discuss our Resilient Martin Program. You can re-watch the presentation here.
This Martin County initiative will help you understand the future risks of sea-level rise and what we’re doing to mitigate them.
Community Resilience is the ability to adapt to changing conditions, including acute shocks and chronic stresses. Acute shocks are emergencies that cause sudden disruptions in services and include things like severe hurricanes, heat waves, wildfires, and infrastructure failures.
However, chronic stresses weaken the fabric of a community over time while also negatively impacting the fiscal efficiency of local governments. Stresses in our region include heavy rainfall and flooding events, rising sea levels and coastal erosion, and exposure of public water supplies vulnerable to saltwater intrusion.
The frequency and intensity of our community’s stresses and shocks will increase as the climate continues to change. Community resilience means spending time and resources to plan for these future shocks and stresses. It is no longer enough to make plans and infrastructure investments based on current conditions alone. By planning for future conditions and risks, we can identify the most effective and fiscally responsible responses. Through resilience planning, Martin County will ensure that these challenges are addressed in current and future actions.
Martin County has received grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Grant #CM933 in 2017 and Grant #R1911 in 2019) to perform targeted analyses required to develop a resiliency plan that addresses the impacts of sea level rise.
Grant products from work in 2018 included an initial map series depicting sea level rise for three time frames using three different model projections. More recent work has focused slightly further in the future on 2040, 2070, and 2100 time frames, with increased detail.
The data and maps developed through these grants will allow for the county to develop a resiliency plan that would include mitigation for expected local hazards. Future work may incorporate storm surge and extreme precipitation events to increase the value of these maps.
Please sign up for updates and meeting notifications about the development of our resilience plan.
In this section, we will include helpful videos and links to external information that explain the many different causes and outcomes that are linked to climate change and how they impact our environment and our daily lives.
NOAA's Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper enables users to explore maps that show people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flood hazards and create a collection of maps to share and communicate about flood exposure.
Perform a property search via the county's Flood Zones Map to find out which flood zone your home or property is located in.
View local areas which may potentially be inundated with storm surge, or whose evacuation routes may be impacted by storm surge.
We want to hear from you! Click on the survey button below to participate in a brief survey on what resilience issues and concerns are important to our residents. The survey will change as we seek to increase our awareness of your concerns, so check back often.
Storm protection, ecosystem conservation, and preservation of a popular recreation destination all in one project.
Since 1996, ongoing maintenance efforts to mitigate erosion along the northern four miles of the county coastline have proved to be a crucial commitment. While encroaching seawater could threaten to undermine the integrity of residential structures and flood A1A during a major storm, the county’s foresight in securing a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has created a partnership to maintain critical storm protection for county infrastructure, an essential evacuation route and private property in the area.
Surveys were conducted to confirm the minimum beach width needed to provide adequate storm protection, and the maximum possible beach width that could be constructed while ensuring that no damage would be sustained by valuable nearshore resources. The beach was then reconstructed to meet those specifications and has been monitored ever since, with additional restoration projects launched whenever the beach width approaches the minimum acceptable width. Through these longtime efforts, an effective buffer between the ocean and upland structures has been maintained, as has an important habitat for nesting sea turtles, shore birds, and other wildlife.
Intensive monitoring of all environmental aspects – including offshore and submerged wildlife and habitats – ensures that restoration activities don’t negatively impact the valuable habitats in the area.
Since the start of this project, oceanfront properties in the area have been protected from hurricane impact through multiple hurricanes and severe nor’easter storms.
Planted dunes trap windblown sand, effectively building themselves higher and wider to provide an even more substantial barrier between the water and land.
Recognizing that addressing community resilience requires all of us to work together, here are some things you can do to incorporate sustainability best practices into your life.
Conserving energy not only reduces your monthly electric bill, but also reduces carbon emissions into our atmosphere. Take the FPL Home Energy Survey.
Protect water resources by visiting the South Florida Water Management District's tips on how to conserve water resources.
The county’s Protect Our Paradise website serves as a portal for visitors and residents to learn more about environmental conditions, initiatives, sustainable tourism, and issues taking place in Martin County, including ways visitors can help.
Report any illicit discharge, illicit connection to the county's drainage system, pipe failures, construction site runoff, or other stormwater issues which contribute to pollution of our local water bodies.
Plastic straws are one of the many single-use plastics that litter beaches, pollute oceans and harm wildlife. Martin County has adopted a single-use plastic reduction strategy and you can help by shopping local vendors that support sustainability practices and incorporating reduction strategies into your everyday routine.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection encourages Florida residents and visitors to reduce their plastic use and “Skip the Straw.” Residents, schools and businesses can pledge to Skip the Straw for one week.
Clean local waterways are critical to our community and surrounding areas. Maintaining and improving water quality is essential to protect public health, quality of life, fisheries, wildlife, and watersheds and to ensure opportunities for public recreation and economic development.
The Martin County Board of County Commissioners continues to invest significantly in this crucial effort and is a leader in the development of water quality improvement projects in our region. No other county in the state of Florida has invested as much as Martin County for Everglades restoration. Learn more about our water quality efforts.
Stay engaged about our ongoing resilience initiatives by taking our survey, signing up for our newsletter, and contact us with any questions you may have about the Resilient Martin Program.
Looking for more information about Florida’s resilience community? Learn more about statewide efforts and view helpful tools, fact sheets, and more by visiting these featured links and websites.
