Monroe County Post Disaster Recovery Strategy Operational Framework (2020)

SFRPC supported Monroe County in its development of The Monroe County Post-Disaster Recovery Strategy (PDRS). The PDRS serves as an operational framework and is intended to help Monroe County navigate resources that are available for long-term recovery, after FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance has been exhausted. Through planning and close coordination, the County can maximize their recovery efforts in a way that uses all resources available to build back stronger and more resilient in the future.

The Monroe County Post-Disaster Recovery Strategy (PDRS) is intended to:

  • Guide long-term recovery and resilience efforts following this storm
  • Help the community learn from its experiences from this event, and
  • To prepare for the future

The strategy supports long-term recovery, which is a coordinated effort that leverages the entire community’s capacity respecting the role of emergency management to stand ready to respond to the next event. Long-term recovery was preferred, instead of short-term recovery, as it is a collaborative process with coordination among all local government, non-profit and private entities that will play a role in the redevelopment of the community. The SFRPC serves as a major collaborator and has direct access to federal and state agencies that can assist with economic and business recovery immediately following a disaster and, in the months, and years that follow. Following Hurricane Irma, the Council helped facilitate the creation and funding of the Director of Disaster Recovery Position in Monroe County. Additionally, the Council operates a small business revolving loan fund that can assist area businesses.

Monroe County Post Disaster Recovery Strategy Mitigation and Sea Level Rise Resilience Program (2020)

Hurricane Irma brought to reality the vulnerability of Monroe County. As the Florida Keys plans for the future, it will be important to consider not only current flooding vulnerability, but how these vulnerabilities, such as storm surge, can be further exacerbated by sea level rise. In order to address such concerns and tackle mitigation, the SFRPC supported Monroe County in its request of a $150 Million Set-Aside in the CDBG- MIT Action Plan for the Monroe County Mitigation and Sea Level Rise Resilience Program.

With this set-aside of CDBG-MIT funding, Monroe County and its municipalities will:

  • Continue planning and policy development efforts to project sea level rise on island infrastructure and the environment, creating a Keys-wide plan for resilience.
  • Elevate and improve stormwater along roadways that connect to critical evacuation routes including retention, drainage, and treatment to enhance water quality.
  • Improve critical infrastructure by relocating it from low-lying areas, hardening it against future storm surge or flooding, or elevating it for future resilience.
  • Restore natural shorelines to protect inland areas and/or harden shorelines for resilience.
  • Protect drinking water through reverse osmosis improvements to existing systems.
  • Elevate or replace homes to mitigate the impacts of flooding, storm surge and sea level rise. Buy out low-lying areas with repetitive loss properties or those that are not suitable for redevelopment.