Miami King Tides

Why Miami floods on sunny days

Chapter 1

The invisible sponge beneath the city

Chapter 2

When the moon pulls too hard

Chapter 3

Fighting the rising tides

YOUR GOAL

Master of Why Miami floods on sunny days

Ch 3 · Fighting the rising tides

Miami Puddle Patrol

BETA

steve Pump away rising street puddles to discover why Miami floods on sunny days.

steve Miami King Tides

Sunny day, sunny day, but the water's coming from below!

steve The clever one-way valves under the street

The clever one-way valves under the street

steve Engineers installed backflow preventers in storm drains to stop sea water from rushing backward onto roads.

The giant pumps fighting gravity

steve The city uses massive stormwater pumps to actively suck water off the streets and discharge it back into the ocean.

Fun Fact

Elevating roads: Raising Miami Beach's streets has occasionally left some older, historic buildings sitting lower than the new road, creating sunken front yards.

Gossip

Would you support higher taxes to fund flood pumps?

Quiz

Where do Miami Beach's high-capacity storm pumps send the floodwater they suck from streets?

steve Designing cities that float

Quiz

What major environmental concern is associated with pumping street floodwater directly back into Biscayne Bay?

steve Lifting entire streets above the sea

Quiz

By up to how many feet have engineers raised some low-lying streets in Miami Beach?

steve The giant pumps fighting gravity

Quiz

What type of power is primarily used to run Miami's massive flood pumps during heavy rain and high tides?

Quiz

What is the purpose of the one-way tidal valves installed in Miami's storm drains?

Quiz

What architectural feature is increasingly used for the ground floors of new coastal Miami buildings?

Quiz

Approximately how much money has Miami Beach committed to spending on its storm pump and road-raising initiatives?

Quiz

What is a major downside of elevating streets while older adjacent buildings remain at their original height?