Climate Threat Risk Assessment Scale for Florida

The aim of this research is to develop a climate threat risk assessment scale for galleries, libraries, archives, and museums within the State of Florida. Current research neglects the localized impact of tropical cyclones on cultural institutions. Tropical cyclone events bring in flooding, intense wind speeds, and power outages which affect these institutions. Florida is also at risk from sea level rise, rising temperatures and humidity, and inland flooding. Tropical cyclone data from the National Hurricane Center are used to represent historical wind occurrence. Rising temperature and humidity data come from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6. Sea level rise data come from high tide scenarios taken from the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration. Finally, flash flood warning data are used to represent the flooding likelihood in each county. Each threat is assessed individually across Florida counties. The range of possible values forms a total scale, which is then translated into an academic grade (4.0). Each individual grade is then added together to provide a combined threat scale. Understanding how each of these threats exist within a space can better inform these institutions on how to prepare in a changing climate. These institutions often exist in regions where they can act as social hubs post an event like a hurricane where people can go for resources. Understanding their role alongside understanding their risk is incredibly important. Miami-Dade County has the most glams at risk from tropical cyclone impacts based on preliminary results. This research aims to tackle the risk that these cultural institutions in face of various climate risks