PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County is receiving a big boost to help assess flood and sea level rise vulnerability.
County officials said in Wednesday statement that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) awarded the county a $1 million grant from the FDEP Resilient Florida Program to assist six municipalities.
The vulnerability assessments will help each municipality address current flooding and prepare for future flooding, the county said.
The municipalities that will benefit from the grant include:
- Cloud Lake
- Glen Ridge
- Golf
- Haverhill
- Hypoluxo
- Palm Springs
The county said these municipalities have already experienced inland flooding during heavy rains, tropical storms and sunny-day flooding in coastal areas due to king tides, which scientists predict will intensify in the coming years.
The FDEP Resilient Florida Program aims to have all Florida counties and cities complete a compliant flood and sea level rise vulnerability assessment by 2026 for inclusion in the Comprehensive Statewide Flood Vulnerability and Sea Level Rise Assessment.
"The Palm Beach County Office of Resilience is committed to ensuring that residents in both PBC municipalities and unincorporated areas are preparing for the impacts of flooding and sea level rise," Director Megan Houston said in a statement. "We are excited to partner with these six PBC municipalities to assess the impacts of current and future flooding and sea level rise on their critical assets so that they can prioritize their adaptation efforts, seek funding and implement adaptation measures to continue to protect the county."
Once completed, the county said they will submit the municipal vulnerability assessments to the state for inclusion, which will allow the communities to be eligible for state funding to implement projects that address flood and sea level rise impacts in those areas.
