Fort Pierce is one of the most beautiful places in Florida.
The Indian River Lagoon, Indian Hill Golfing, and the all-year-round sunny weather are attracting tourists and new locals in search of adventure, leisure, and better life.
Everyone can find something in the center of St. Lucie County.
The charming streets of Sunrise City have already caught the national eye. Reader’s Digest ranked Main Street, Fort Pierce, among the top 20 most beautiful streets in America. More than 5,000 people stroll down the N 2nd Street on Saturdays, enjoying the Sunrise Theatre, Moore’s Creek Bridge, the Army post from the Seminole War, and the bustling Farmers’ market.
Fort Pierce offers the perfect balance between a small city buzz and a laid-back time in nature.
Sadly, we may soon lose it all to extreme hurricanes and rising tides.
Hurricane Irma is a potential indicator of what to expect in years to come. This category 4 disaster blew Florida upside, devastating Fort Pierce in the process and submerging the city under 16 inches of water. Due to Its low elevation in the city, some residents had to evacuate their homes, leaving behind flooded homes and destroyed cars.
Devastating hurricanes are nothing new in Sunrise City, thought. Fort Pierce has survived more than 80 hurricanes in the past century. The glaring problem comes from the intensified frequency of these events over the years. Fort Pierce averaged 4 hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 each one more devastating than the last, according to Home Facts.
The city is naturally prone to floodings, sea-level surges, and extreme weather events. But if it continues at this pace, Fort Pierce’s residents may soon start living in constant fear of an unpredictable storm that could render their homes unlivable and sink their cars like it’s a game of battleships.
What many don’t see is that sea levels rise slowly but steadily. Houses, streets, and cars won’t just sink at a glance. Macro-weather changes take ages to manifest, but once they’re here, it’s like letting the genie out of the bottle. You can’t pump the water out of the sea.
1. Hurricanes become more destructive.
2. Flooding suddenly becomes more frequent.
3. Beaches grew smaller and less accessible.
4. Piers slowly fade into shallow waters.
One devastating weather event after another may soon drive all the fun out of the city. If you’ve spent some time in Fort Pierce and enjoyed the Indian Lagoon and the Main Street, you may already witness some of these devastating events.
Cities are drowned drop by drop, and not by buckets of water. If we continue this way, we’re sure to lose more than just Fort Pierce, according to Smithsonian’s studies.
Climate scientists from all sides of the spectrum agree that human activity is largely responsible for the intensity of rising sea levels and weather events drowning Fort Pierce. In fact, more than 90% of scientists agree that the devastating effects of climate change are directly connected to human action.
NASA tracks the climate consensus. Visit Climate.NASA to check out the data from all climate agencies, institutions, and governments on the rapid deterioration of Earth’s climate.
Fort Pierce could find itself completely underwater before 2100.
If you think that you’ll be long gone by then, think again. Florida’s coastline cities would become uninhabitable long before they completely drown. Severe flooding could take away the roads, streets, and public institutions in the next few decades, according to Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. NOOA is another agency that tracks rising sea levels in the United States. The interactive map on NOO’s website helps visualize potential damage in Fort Pierce is facing with the current rising sea levels.
Economical damage would drive people further North in search of more desirable weather. Bizarrely, attractive weather is exactly one of the main reasons why people flock to Fort Pierce today.