Opa-locka holds public workshop on flood vulnerability assessment, outlines timeline and funding paths

City of Opa-locka officials and residents attended a public workshop where Stantec project manager Diane Quigley presented a resilience-focused vulnerability assessment funded through the Resilient Florida grant administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Quigley said the assessment will identify city-owned critical assets vulnerable to flooding now and under future scenarios, and that the study will use climate projections through mid-century (2050) and 2080 as required by state statute. "It is the data and analysis where we look at what parts of the city are prone to flooding," Quigley said, adding the work is intended to position the city for state and federal capital funding.

The nut of the presentation: map public assets, run an exposure analysis that overlays rainfall and sea-level projections on elevation data, rate sensitivity of assets (for example, lift stations vs. parks), and produce conceptual adaptation strategies. Quigley said those…