image: Called “Flooding Explorer: Fort Lauderdale,” the experience uses a 3D simulation anchored at the historic Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Users navigate the city, view aerial perspectives and adjust a slider to compare flooding scenarios involving high tides, heavy rainfall, storms and future sea level rise.
Credit: Virtual Planet Technologies, Florida Atlantic University
What would Fort Lauderdale look like with 3, 4 or 5 feet of sea level rise? How could a king tide or a sudden downpour flood neighborhoods far from the beach? And what can communities do today to prepare for a future in which flooding becomes more frequent?
A new immersive virtual reality (VR) (click here) experience developed by Florida Atlantic University and its partners lets users explore how king tides, storms and rising seas could affect Fort Lauderdale’s homes, businesses, historic landmarks and infrastructure.
Called “Flooding Explorer: Fort Lauderdale,” the experience uses a 3D simulation anchored at the historic Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Users navigate the city, view aerial perspectives and adjust a slider to compare flooding scenarios involving high tides, heavy rainfall, storms and future sea level rise.
The timing is especially relevant as South Florida enters another period of exceptionally high seasonal tides. The South Florida Water Management District identifies today, Oct. 27, as a predicted annual maximum high-tide peak along Florida’s east coast. Fort Lauderdale’s broader king tide period runs from Oct. 24 to 31, when elevated water levels, rainfall and other weather conditions could increase flooding in vulnerable areas. Actual water levels and local flooding will depend on conditions at the time.
“Virtual reality lets people experience flooding in ways that maps and statistics alone cannot,” said Serena Hoermann, Ph.D., director of FAU’s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions and an assistant research professor in the School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability within FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, who spearheaded the project. “By showing how flooding could affect familiar places, we hope to make these risks more tangible and demonstrate how decisions made today can help communities prepare for the future.”
The experience begins at Bonnet House, a 35-acre historic estate built in 1920 on a subtropical barrier island. Its builders selected the highest available ground, approximately 13 feet above sea level, illustrating how people have long adapted to the challenges of living along the coast. Today, however, rising seas and changing flood conditions pose growing challenges even for places with a history of resilience.
From Bonnet House, users can explore a 3D model of Fort Lauderdale, from Las Olas Boulevard and waterfront hotels to the Museum of Discovery and Science, Victoria Park and other inland neighborhoods. The simulation shows how flooding can affect areas far from the beach, including a scenario at Caron Drive and Northeast 20th Avenue where water moves inland from the Intracoastal Waterway.
“It’s important to note that these are illustrative scenarios, not predictions,” said Hoermann. “They demonstrate how rising seas and extreme weather can compound flood risks and why planning ahead is essential.”
The simulation shows how a five-year storm could flood streets and neighborhoods under current conditions. With 3 feet of sea level rise combined with king tides, flooding could reach farther inland.
At 4 feet, stormwater drainage systems could be strained across large areas, while 5 feet could leave some residential and commercial areas persistently or permanently flooded, forcing difficult decisions about infrastructure, adaptation and potential relocation.
The experience also highlights solutions to reduce flood risks, including improved drainage, pumping stations, elevated seawalls, wetland restoration and green infrastructure. It emphasizes flexible, phased adaptation strategies that address immediate risks while preparing communities for future conditions.
“Flooding is an engineering challenge, a community planning challenge and an economic challenge,” said Fred Bloetscher, Ph.D., associate dean for undergraduate studies and community outreach in FAU’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering within the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “We need to understand not only where water may go, but also how our drainage systems, roads, buildings and other infrastructure will perform as conditions change. Experiences like this can help people visualize those challenges and recognize the importance of investing in solutions before the next flood occurs.”
The VR experience is designed to support education, research and resilience planning by helping residents, students, decision makers and visitors consider how today’s choices could affect tomorrow’s communities. It is available in English and Spanish, includes closed captions and is also accessible through a web-based version, extending its reach beyond those using VR headsets.
The project brings together FAU, Virtual Planet Technologies, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, and the Museum of Discovery and Science. Funding was provided by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and FEMA. Juliano Calil, Ph.D., founder of Virtual Planet Technologies is among the project’s collaborators, along with Bloetscher and other contributors.
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About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University is one of the nation’s fastest-rising public research universities, serving more than 32,000 students in South Florida. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, Florida Atlantic is also one of only 13 institutions nationwide to hold Carnegie Foundation designations for R1 research, opportunity and community engagement. Guided by its strategic plan, “2031FAU: Where Tomorrow Begins,” the university is focused on delivering career-ready education and experiential learning, driving scholarly inquiry that creates healthier, safer and more prosperous communities, strengthening institutional excellence, and elevating its impact across South Florida and beyond. Florida Atlantic continues to advance its position as Florida’s first quantum university, integrating research, education and industry partnerships around next-generation computing technologies. Through other signature strengths in neuroscience and healthy aging, environmental, ocean and coastal innovation, and national defense and autonomous systems, Florida Atlantic expands knowledge, fuels economic opportunity and fulfills its mission as South Florida’s hometown university.