County: Miami-Dade
ZIP Codes: 33154
Bal Harbour, Florida is particularly vulnerable to hurricane impacts given its coastal location along the Atlantic shore and low lying elevation. The vicinity to the coastline makes it prone to high wind speeds and storm surges, which are significant sources of potential damage. Flood risk is an especially critical concern due to its low elevation, mostly ranges under 5 meters above mean sea level, making it susceptible to both high tides and storm surge flooding. With climate change leading to rising sea levels, this risk is expected to increase over time. Inundation of roads may cause accessibility issues, and the Saline Water Intrusion into the local aquifer could also create long-term problems for the water supply. Historically, Bal Harbour has experienced the impacts of severe hurricanes, with Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 being among the most notable in the last three decades. Both of these hurricanes led to significant damages in infrastructure, loss of power and flooding issues. It's also been impacted by less severe, yet still significant storms which have caused flooding and wind damage. The town should focus on resilience planning, such as enforcing building codes for wind resistance, establishing effective plans for evacuation and emergency response, and taking measures to mitigate the impacts of floodwaters, to reduce the aging infrastructure's vulnerability to hurricanes.