A force of nature: A look back at how Miami-Dade prepares for storms

How Miami-Dade County prepares for major storms and a recap on its free energy assessments for large buildings.

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Learn how Miami-Dade County is prepared for major storms and other disasters in our interview with Pete Gomez, Director of the Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management. 

And see how the County helps large buildings assess – and reduce – their energy consumption with its BE305 Challenge as part of the climate action strategy.

With Milton intensifying as it heads towards the west coast of Florida, we here in Miami-Dade County are already preparing for major rain and flooding. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava declared a state of emergency for our area on Monday. Sandbags were handed out by the dozen. 

Miami-Dade prepares for these types of forces of nature. We learned about the county’s sophisticated emergency management program in our August interview with Pete Gomez, Director of the Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management which has a comprehensive plan that is vital to our region’s economic future when it comes to bouncing back from a disaster such as a major storm.

How we impact our climate is a focal point for Opportunity Miami and The Miami-Dade Beacon Council as we focus on the Miami of 2040 being more sustainable and resilient. The County already has an entire team dedicated to resiliency. A key component of the County’s Climate Action Strategy is to cut greenhouse gas emissions (which are strongly linked to global warming) by 50% over the next six years and achieve net zero by 2050. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

To get us there, we held our 13th climate tech meetup last week on Energy Efficiency Day as part of our ongoing partnership with the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience. The event focused on energy efficiency in buildings as part of the County’s Building Efficiency 305 Challenge (or BE305). 

The program focuses on large buildings – over 20,000 square feet – by offering free energy and water assessments. 

Buildings produce about 40% of the County’s greenhouse gas emissions each year, the second biggest after transportation. Slashing this number is key to meeting the collective goal to reduce emissions. “By working with this group, we know that we can make great headway into reducing emissions, conserving energy, conserving water," said Marta Marello, a resilience energy analyst for the county and the program’s coordinator. 

Learn more in our previous On Site video feature, which you can watch here. 

“We’re working on creating things that will be sticky, things that will animate folks to get involved, as well as things to be replicable in other places,” explained Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “You have to build with a climate in mind. We do need innovative solutions to demonstrate that low-carbon buildings will not only save energy but also keep our tenants happy and healthy.” 

That's where programs such as the BE305 Challenge can thrive, by connecting the business community with the local government to spur action and change.    

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Stay safe out there.

– Suzette