Psychologists describe resilience as the capacity to bounce back in the face of adversity. We often describe successful athletes as overcoming setbacks through mental toughness and resilience. And parents reflect that classroom challenges today will make their kids more resilient in the long run.
Lately, there has been much debate on the Key about climate resiliency. Experts tell us that we need to do something to prepare for and adapt to the looming threats: higher temperatures, more severe storms, flooding problems, and other things. As residents of a barrier island, we know we are vulnerable, but opinions vary about what to do, when to do it, and how much to spend.
Big infrastructure projects are expensive. But, as the Village’s Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer, Dr. Roland Samimy, puts it, “It’s pay now or pay later. We can try to put a band-aid on the problem, but that band-aid isn’t going to make the problem go away.”
Responding to climate change isn’t the first big problem our community has tackled. We’ve faced – and worked through – other challenges in the past: building the high bridge, cleaning up after Hurricane Andrew, incorporating the Village and building the community center, and navigating our way through Covid. Each of these challenges wasn’t without controversy, but as a community, we got through them and emerged as all the stronger.
Just as we recognize and promote climate resiliency, it’s also important to recognize and promote community resiliency. When we work together, we develop the most effective and enduring solutions. Getting there involves time and attention, but engaging fully in the process allows us to reach the best outcomes. We might not all share the same points of view, but we can all learn from one another. And ultimately, we are stronger and more resilient as a community for it.
It behooves us to educate ourselves about the issues. We should listen to what the experts and other community members say, even if we don’t always agree. Listening to our neighbors with an open mind is critical.
Dr. Samimy readily admits that getting people to think in the long term can be challenging. But he draws a parallel to taking care of our own houses. “If your roof leaks, you need to fix it. You might not like spending thousands of dollars for a new roof, but if your house is worth a million, that’s a pretty good investment.”
Beyond his professional role, Dr. Samimy does his part to live sustainably. He often bikes to work from his home in Coral Gables. He conserves water, drives an electric vehicle and follows a mostly vegetarian diet. “In the scheme of things, one person’s lifestyle won’t make a difference, but if thousands or millions of us make environmentally responsible choices, then together we have a major impact.”
When he’s not working, he enjoys sailing, SCUBA diving, paddleboarding, surfing – “pretty much anything on the water,” he says. He is also passionate about providing public access. “Unfortunately, too many people in Miami don’t have access to the water. When people experience our natural environment, they begin to love it. And once they love it, they learn to value it and care about protecting it.”
There are many ways to learn more about and get involved in Key Biscayne’s resilience plans. A great place to start is by visiting the website keybiscayne.fl.gov and clicking on the resiliency tab under Village Services.
Infrastructure planning is not glamorous, and building new storm drains and treatment systems is not cheap. But the payoff can be huge. We can get great things done when we come together as a community.
Just think, without the high bridge, we might still be sitting in Sunday afternoon traffic waiting for the drawbridge to close.
For the last #lighterside column, click here.