Defending Homes and Property Against Fire and Flood

Some say the Southwest Florida landscape was forged by water and fire. As a homeowner in rural Collier County for 30 years, I can confirm that those two forces continue to impact life here in many ways. I am constantly reminded of the importance of protecting my home and property from flooding and wildfires, an endeavor that has become more challenging as Mother Nature seems to hurl more curveballs our way.

My 2.25-acre property consists of pine flatwoods, palm hammock, and cypress forest in Golden Gate Estates, located northeast of the City of Naples. When we built our home in 1995, we left our lot mostly wooded so we could see birds and wildlife. Having less lawn means we use less water for irrigation during the dry season, but being surrounded by forest is not without consequence.

Wildfire

The winter dry season is also fire season here, which puts people like me on high alert. Anyone mowing a dry lawn can accidentally spark a wildfire, not to mention power tools, dirt bikes, and ATVs —all of which are known to cause wildfires under the right conditions. Additionally, any vegetation touching a power line can also cause sparks.

Wildfire concerns have grown in recent years, as increased temperatures associated with our changing climate, combined with water loss or evapotranspiration, are creating hotter, drier conditions that dry out vegetation and increase its flammability. Additionally, with every hurricane or storm event, downed trees and branches left in place create new fire hazards. Since 2018, several large wildfires have impacted Golden Gate Estates, leaving families without their homes, outbuildings, or vehicles.  

Defensible space is a gap, natural or manmade, in vegetation that acts as a safety zone or buffer during a wildfire. Creating this space, i.e., preferably 10 feet of sky or 30 feet of ground between a structure and the nearby vegetated area, can prevent a fire from reaching the structure and is crucial for enabling access by professionals who may need to manage fire behavior.

Clearing or removing downed vegetative debris like palm fronds and pine branches is another way of minimizing the likelihood that those fuels could be ignited by a lightning strike.

Flooding

Living inland and miles from the Gulf is one way of avoiding direct impacts from coastal storms, but flood waters are still a threat on this landscape with little elevation change. This is especially true on land where cypress trees serve as reminders of where water once pooled in the past.

The weather pattern I remember as a teenager entailed daily rainfall all summer—we used to joke in our house that we could set the clock by the afternoon thunderstorms. While our area is still receiving roughly the same amount of rainfall over the course of the year, the rainfall patterns and timing have changed.

Consider 2017, when a heavy rain event in late August was followed by Hurricane Irma, which made landfall near Naples. Between September 9 and 11, Irma dropped 12.6 in. of rain. In addition to causing flooding across entire blocks, heavy rain poured off the roof of our home, eroding rivers in our lawn and driveway. While major hurricanes are becoming more frequent, unnamed storms can also damage homes and properties.

Installing a solid gutter system with downspouts is crucial. To avoid erosion from the downspouts, themselves, homeowners can deploy rain barrels beneath them to collect and store excess water for future use. A rain garden goes to the next level and entails digging a shallow hole on the property lined with rocks. It can be connected it to the downspout with a tube or pipe, also called a French drain. Having a dedicated area where pooling water can collect and stand for a brief period, away from walkways and lawns, is smart on any landscape. The water drains away rather quickly until the end of rainy season, when the ground water table is at its highest.

Natural Climate Solutions

We are facing a climate crisis of epic proportion—one that threatens life on Earth as we know it. For people and birds to have any chance of adapting, the response needs to be no less massive. As a homeowner, I can do many things to protect my home and property from climate impacts. But defending against these impacts locally is like putting a band-aid on a cut: it can stop bleeding, but it doesn’t solve the problem of getting cut in the first place.  We can all do more—check out Audubon's Climate Action Guide for many other suggestions. 

Luckily, Audubon works with partners to prioritize and advance natural climate solutions like the conservation of forests, wetlands, and grasslands that could sequester tens of millions of tons of carbon naturally while also conserving key habitat for birds. Conserving wetlands and protecting natural spaces against wildfires also protect people and bird populations from climate and weather risks. When people protect their homes with natural solutions, we create more durable and environmentally beneficial spaces with multiple lines of defense.