City: Miami
Country / US State / US Territory: Florida
Type of Solution: Awareness Campaign
Climate Impact: Sea level rise and inundation, extreme precipitation and flooding, hurricanes and storm surge
Social Value Created: Public Education and Awareness; Community Engagement; Social Justice and Equity for Vulnerable Communities
Many coastal areas are currently privately owned. Miami is low lying, so both coastal and non-coastal areas will flood due to sea level rise, heavy precipitation events, and hurricanes and storm surge. The King Tide Outreach Program is an awareness campaign launched by the City of Miami. Community non-profits partnered with the City of Miami to hold the campaign.
Last fall, the King Tide Outreach Program focused on educating Shore Crest, a mixed income and diverse neighborhood. Many residents are renters and are unaware of the causes of flooding. Residents have had issues with being able to go to work during flooding events.
The campaign engaged in a number of outreach activities, including social media, door to door messaging, and distribution of digital flyers. The City of Miami used Facebook and Twitter messages to communicate information to followers. The Facebook page has 6,423 followers, and the Twitter page has 111,000 followers. A Youtube video titled, “City of Miami – King Tides in Shorecrest,” was created as another educational communication during a Citizen Science collection day. The video has received 1,325 views thus far.
Prior to each King Tide event, messages were posted on New Door to directly reach City of Miami residents. An estimated 15,500 residents were reached for Citywide King Tide messages, and an estimated 125 residents were reached in the targeted Shorecrest/Haynsworth Village messages.
The Upper Eastside NET office served as an outreach post for Shorecrest residents, providing King Tide information and resources. Between 10 to 15 residents contacted the NET Offices for more information about the King Tides. Additionally, four community meetings were held and seven variable message signs were placed around the city to warn of King Tides.
Sources
*Note: This case was documented from an interview with a city practitioner.