When Rain Rain Won't Go Away: Preparing Pensacola Residents for Severe Weather
The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is launching a new project to enhance resilience planning efforts in the City of Pensacola following the economic and social impacts felt throughout the community following the landfall of Hurricane Sally and other recent severe weather events.
PPBEP is working with collaborators from the University of West Florida, the City of Pensacola, Escambia County, and the Program for Local Adaption to Climate Effects: Sea Level Rise (PLACE:SLR) to survey Pensacola residents about their ability to prepare, withstand, or recover from severe weather or flooding. The survey seeks to identify broad community barriers, such as socio-economic factors and access to local public transportation, that will support resilience planning efforts in the City of Pensacola.
PPBEP will implement a pilot project based on community feedback within one of the City of Pensacola’s Priority Planning Areas identified in the City’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment.
ï‚· Priority Planning Area 1 - Extending from Langely Ave to Spanish Trail, and the Scenic Highway 90. This area includes Chimney Park and the Northern region of Gaberonne.
ï‚· Priority Planning Area 2 - Extending from N 12 Ave to N 19th and Barcla Dr to Bayou Blvd. This area includes part of the Bayou Texar.
ï‚· Priority Planning Area 3 – Located over the Pensacola Bay Bridge. This area includes the railroad bridge, Wayside Park, and Five Flags Park.
ï‚· Priority Planning Area 4 - Encompassing the southern edge of the Pensacola Bay. This area includes Bayou Chico and Fountain Park.
ï‚· Priority Planning Area 5 – Located on the West side of the city. This area includes Bill Gregory Park.
The deadline to complete the survey is 11:59pm CT on October 23, 2022. The survey is available at https://uwf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_51k8E0lxNGmrU58.
The mission of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program is to restore and protect the Pensacola and Perdido Bay watersheds through restoration, education, and unbiased monitoring of the health of our bays, estuaries, and watersheds.
The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program serves as a trusted source for residents, businesses, industry, and the community on issues relating to preserving, restoring, improving, and maintaining the natural habitat and ecosystem of the bays, estuaries and watersheds of Pensacola and Perdido Bays. PPBEP strives to achieve a healthy and collaborative environment by:
1. Elevating and increasing the importance, awareness and understanding of environmental quality.
2. Employing rigorous, unbiased, and scientifically sound science to inform and guide decisions, policies, and initiatives.
3. Funding programs and projects that protect the environment, increase ecological resilience
4. Building a network of inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships that takes into account factors affecting the environment, the economy, and the community-at-large for the benefit of improving the quality of life for all.
Dive in at ppbep.org or follow us @ppbepflal on Facebook and @pensacolaandperdidobaysprogram on Instagram.
