MIAMI – Any Miami resident can download the ISeeChange app for free.
It allows users to report issues like flooding in their neighborhoods or clogged drains ahead of this busy hurricane season.
City of Miami spokesperson Kenia Fallat said residents and business owners serve as the eyes and ears of the populous city.
“If you see flooding, we definitely encourage you to report it,” said Fallat. “There’s a lot of construction, so sometimes you see that water accumulates in certain areas, but we don’t know unless the public tells us.”
The app is easy to use: you start by downloading the ISeeChange app and creating an account. Once inside, you can report the issue with a picture and a small explanation.
“We immediately get the information and it goes directly to our public works department, who then starts looking into it and sending out the trucks,” said Fallat.
Here are just two recent examples: Someone posted Monday about a clogged drain that needs clean-up, and another person said she’s noticed for a long time that the same part of her street always floods.
“Miami has a lot of unpredictable weather, so it’s not just during hurricane season, it’s during the entire year,” said Fallat.
Florida International University Professor Piero Gardinali said sea levels are getting higher and higher, and with the rainy season underway, people should be more vigilant about these issues.
“The cities are doing their best, but it’s really up to us to let them know the areas that are the problem,” he said.
Gardinali added that a lot of the flooding seen in neighborhoods is due to litter that people throw out, which end up in our drains and rivers.