Despite the rain forecast, Miamians were caught off guard. Is it time for a new alert system?

The deluge of rain and street flooding that Miami-Dade and Broward experienced for three days this week should be an eye-opener for our local leaders.

And the takeaway: How can we better alert our residents to prepare for these torrential storms, amplified by climate change, creating flash flooding in two counties, paralyzing highways, trapping us in our homes? houses, soak our roofs and ruin our homes. Vehicles? Just ask car insurance companies how many car engines were flooded in South Florida this week.

Maybe it’s time to create a power rating for flooding, just like we do for hurricanes. Should we expect Category 1 or Category 5 flooding? Given the extent of our flooding this week, it looked like a Cat 4.

Once counted, the property damage caused this week could resemble that caused by a hurricane. This prompted Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency for our “rain event,” and FEMA, which helps with natural disasters, had to be called.

Yes, TV forecasters and newspapers warned of “lots of rain” for three days. This is South Florida, at the dawn of summer, many of us thought. We left our homes on Tuesday, unaware that we were lambs about to be taken to a slaughterhouse. Or was there no way to warn anyone how such a storm would develop?

So, should residents receive more than a warning about a “100% chance of rain today?” » Have traditional forecasts become obsolete in the face of our new reality of weather events?

There should be a more accurate way to translate the potential flood damage we will be exposed to when we leave our homes.

Here is a possible classification:

Category 1 flooding: Possibility of sporadic street flooding. Be careful and be vigilant.

Category 2 flooding: There is a high chance of encountering flooded intersections in some traditionally vulnerable areas.

CAT 3 floods: Street flooding is widespread in Miami-Dade and Broward. You could experience devastating street flooding.

Category 4 flooding: Do not leave your home. The chance that your vehicle is submerged.

Category 5 floods: Catastrophic property damage expected.

What do you think?

Please email me at [email protected] with your ideas on how forecasters and local governments can better help us survive this new weather reality.

Luisa Yanez is a member of the Miami Herald editorial board and Op-Ed editor.