By Zachary Fagenson
MIAMI BEACH Fla. (Reuters) - Miami Beach residents breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday as newly installed pumps kept streets dry during the seaside city?s highest tides of the year.
For weeks, construction crews worked overtime to install pump stations to keep the so-called annual "King Tide" at bay.
The high waters arrive when the gravitational pull from the alignment of the sun, earth and moon raises the ocean. In the past, waters have inundated streets, flooded business, and forced resident to roll up their pants to wade through the lingering surf.
"We?re encouraged by the results of the first initial battle, but you don?t declare victory until it?s over," said Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.
To combat widespread flooding, the city has set aside $300 to $400 million to install up to 50 pumps in the coming years in what some say is a vain effort to protect an estimated $23 billion of real estate.
U.S. Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island toured one of the city?s lowest lying neighborhoods that have flooded so heavily in the past that businesses closed because of water damage. Nelson congratulated Miami Beach officials, but said more needs to be done to prevent the root causes of the sea level rise that is threatening coastal cities such as Miami.
?You can pump the water back out into the sea, but it?ll rise again,? he said.
Higher sea walls are not an option for Miami Beach, where flooding is caused largely by water rising underfoot through porous limestone bedrock. Officials concede pumping water back into the ocean is only a short-term solution as saltwater pumps have a brief lifespan of about 10 years, and quickly become obsolete.
?We?ve created the infrastructure so we can install better pumps once they?re available,? said Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales.
(Editing by David Adams. Editing by Andre Grenon)
