MIAMI – On the 19th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, Miami-Dade County is launching a new way for residents to track a potential storm surge right at their homes.
Called the Storm Surge Simulator, the Internet-based research tool uses elevation and storm dynamics to pinpoint storm surge locations and levels.
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The project is a collaboration between the county and Florida International University.
"I think it's lost on a lot of people when we talk about an incoming storm and the amount of storm surge projected with it, what that actually means," said Curt Sommerhoff, Miami-Dade's director of Emergency Operations.
County residents can log on and hit a location on a map or enter an address in the county, a storm category and a visual representation of a person or a home. Up comes a visual look at how high a projected surge may be.
Though many are familiar with the county's three hurricane evacuation zones along the coast and in southern suburbs, the results may be surprising.
"A surge approaching from the west actually can push a lot of water from the Everglades and cause storm surge coming from the other side of the county," said Sommerhoff.
The director noted that even a few feet of storm surge could be dangerous.
"Your electrical outlets on the wall in your house are about 18 inches off the ground, so when we're talking about those kind of hazards and dangers, people need to be aware of that," Sommerhoff said.
The technology is offered as information and education, and not as an evacuation guide. County emergency personnel decide when to activate an order to evacuate and where. Storm surge is the single most important factor.
Broward County is not yet offering such a simulator service.