Climate Change Speeds Erosion With Huge Storms
Rep. Curbelo Says Irma May Be Worse Than Hurricane Andrew.
Six months ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished a $12 million project to rebuild some of Florida’s prettiest shoreline. About 220,000 cubic yards of sand was poured onto tourist-friendly stretches of world-famous Miami Beach, widening it to 230 feet. It’s part of a 42-year-old federal program designed to combat gradual erosion and ensure there’s a buffer between inland communities and the leading edge of tropical storms.
Scientists will tell you that beaches and their shoreline cousins—wetlands, mangroves, bays, and sounds—are always on the move. They live at the whim of tides, winds, rivers, and waves. There have always been lovely beaches, historically speaking, but they haven’t always been where the iconic Fontainbleau hotel now stands in Miami Beach. This geographic reality didn’t hit home until people laid down beach towels, put up resorts, and cut navigation inlets.