Urban growth, climate change and an impending Category 4 hurricane have created the perfect storm for catastrophic disaster in Florida. Since the last Category 5 storm, Hurricane Andrew, devastated South Florida in 1992, Miami-Dade County’s population has grown 35 percent – putting more people and property in harm’s way.

In 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that hurricanes currently cause about $28 billion in annual damages nationwide. Those costs are projected to rise 40 percent between now and 2075 in part because sea-level rise and warmer temperatures from climate change have made the impacts of hurricanes more severe. With more intense hurricanes – and more population growth – expected in the future, experts urge leaders to accelerate climate resilience efforts.