Other Cities Have Built Levees And Sea Walls. That Won't Work In Florida

"DELRAY BEACH, Florida -- Guus van Kesteren moved to Delray Beach 23 years ago. His home here is on the the town's barrier island and backs up to the Intracoastal Waterway, which separates the island from the Florida mainland.

At just six feet above sea level, he lives in one of the lowest places in all of Delray Beach, an affluent city of 65,000 about an hour's drive north of Miami.

In more than two decades, he's seen hurricanes send water surging over his seawall and into his lawn. But now each fall during annual high tides, salt water creeps up into his garden and chokes his plants, even when there are no storms.

Guus van Kesteren stands overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway in Delray Beach, which he says has flooded his back yard several times in recent years."

Drew Kann reports for CNN with video by Lacey Russell and Matt Gannon September 3, 2019.

Source: CNN, 09/04/2019