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Aessotariq

By Aessotariq
in Miami/South Florida

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pawnmaster Unincorporated Area

pawnmaster

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Here is a daunting question.....

What would happen to our beloved biscayne blvd area if a cat 4 or 5 hit.

Two scenarios:

1) Storm surge from NE 1st to the upper east side such as morning side. Would the first two floors or all downtown/uptown buildings be flooded? Every house damaged? Would the bay hold ANY part of the surge at bay say from 15th street up?

2) Wind damage. Will these leave permanently damaged highrises? As we saw from Katrina or the 1926 hurricane, these winds have the power to tear concrete apart!!!

I just saw a simulation model by an FIU study of a storm surge at Miami Beach....scary stuff. The entire island flooded up to 1-2 stories. No such video for the biscayne blvd so I ask your thoughts.

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Aessotariq Burg

Aessotariq

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One thing we have going for us is that we are above sea level, granted not by much. The Beach would be flooded, but at least we would have gravity on our side to drain the water off. Evacuation plans in South Florida are based on storm surge, not wind damage, so I would certainly hope that 99.99% of Miami Beach would evacuate.

I haven't seen the Miami Beach simulation, although from what I've heard about what would happen, city streets could also get washed out as well. Structurally I've heard that the high-rise buildings would remain standing -- with any unprotected or non-impact-resistant window blown out. The hotel buildings on the Mississippi coast held together fairly well, and the skyscrapers in downtown New Orleans held together (save for the windows on the Hyatt, which should not have happened), granted it didn't get the worst of the winds. When Andrew made landfall, it flooded the ground floors of a lot of buildings downtown, including the Wachovia.

Seems to me that if a strong surge hit historic areas such as Morningside, we'd see a lot of homes get washed away. More modern buildings, especially the high-rises, are built to much better codes.

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pawnmaster Unincorporated Area

pawnmaster

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Think we have a few areas with no seawall for protection.....as an example, the 17th street park (forgot the name) goes down to the water and as you noted morningside park as well.

We also have a lot of older buildings in the downtown/uptown area built prior to Andrew, The Grand, Venetia, and a few buildings on the venetian causeway, as a few examples where wind can cause significant damage. There are not too many post Andrew buildings in the area (completed at least). So what about what we have now? Our current skyview?

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Aessotariq Burg

Aessotariq

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Think we have a few areas with no seawall for protection.....as an example, the 17th street park (forgot the name) goes down to the water and as you noted morningside park as well.

We also have a lot of older buildings in the downtown/uptown area built prior to Andrew, The Grand, Venetia, and a few buildings on the venetian causeway, as a few examples where wind can cause significant damage. There are not too many post Andrew buildings in the area (completed at least). So what about what we have now? Our current skyview?

I would venture that it depends on how well the building complies with the code that was in effect when the structure was built. Our pre-Andrew codes were still much better than what was used in other places, but the inspection in many places was lax. If the windows are shuttered up or have that impact-resistant glass, the building should have a much better chance. I doubt we'd see buildings collapsing. Maybe some exterior damage, like the stucco walls cracking and peeling off.
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socaguy Hamlet

socaguy

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I have a question, it is off-topic but I guessed this would be an appropriate thread for that. What is the area called on Tamiami Trail close (about 2 miles) from Downtown Miami? Also, is the area around Sunset and US1 (Dixie hwy) where all the cute shops are, is that considered Downtown Coral Gables? I get confused where CB starts and ends and S. Miami and Kendall starts. Thanks

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Aessotariq Burg

Aessotariq

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What is the area called on Tamiami Trail close (about 2 miles) from Downtown Miami?
Little Havana. It extends along SW 8th St (Tamiami Trail/Calle Ocho) from west of I-95 up to the Miami/Coral Gables line at SW 37th Ave (Douglas Rd).

Also, is the area around Sunset and US1 (Dixie hwy) where all the cute shops are, is that considered Downtown Coral Gables?
That's downtown South Miami. (Google Map)

Coral Gables' western boundary is 57th Ave (Red Rd).

Downtown Coral Gables is north of US1 (Google map). There's an easy way to figure out if you're in Coral Gables or not, and that's by paying attention to the street signs: Coral Gables doesn't have any on its streets, except for downtown and state/county roadways. Instead they have these white L-shaped stones that lie on the ground, on corner of each street. Coral Gables' minor streets are also named, instead of numbered.

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Aessotariq Burg

Aessotariq

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A friend of mine brought this to my attention... if anybody has the chance, check out the Boca Raton Museum of Art this and next month, and go see the Victor Rodriguez exhibit. It is truly amazing! You look at his works and you swear you're looking at a photograph -- that's how good he is. He definitely has a good understanding of light and shadows.

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