Hurricane Debby Devastation

It’s been 8 days since Hurricane (then Tropical Storm) Debby slowly moved over Sarasota and for some of us, these have been the 8 worst days of our lives. In lieu of any other info, this month I only have time to write one blog and relay one important message to you all, because I am one of numerous other unlucky Sarasotans who has lost so much due to historically damaging flooding in my area.

It is difficult for me to recap the events of the last 8 days, but I can’t do so without acknowledging the heart and soul of Sarasota. Neighbors kayaked to rescue me. Friends and family helped begin the unimaginable clean-up. Old friends chicken-sat for me for days. The support from my community has been both immense and heartwarming. Thank you to the many of you who sent me thoughts of support and concern. It meant so much during a very dark time. We have to fight for the Sarasota we know before that wonderful place - the big city access with small town beach vibes, full of good people and good weather and good food - goes the way of the dodo. We don’t want what is wonderful about Sarasota to be washed away in a flood of irresponsible overdevelopment. Pun intended.

About Hurricane Debby

For those reading from out of town, it is hard to imagine the devastation to our area from afar. Roads became rivers, homes became lakes, ponds became oceans. 5 days post storm, there were still many roads impassable due to flooding, including the big intersection at Bee Ridge and Lorraine, in addition to lots of neighborhood roads. The storm, which we were mildly warned about while it was brewing, was expected to carry a lot of rain, but after monitoring the storm, Sarasota County decided not to distribute sandbags like they usually do prior to big storms. Consequently, many of us thought the coming storm would bring a more typical Tropical Storm situation of a few uncomfortable hours, an extra trip to Publix for emergency water, and… that was about it. What we got was nearly 36 hours of solid rain totaling roughly 18” over the duration of the storm. Yes, the rain was indeed historic. But what thwarted historical norms is how our town - the physical infrastructure, buildings, and homes - reacted to this gross amount of rain.

My Story

Early Sunday afternoon, life was business as usual with some dark clouds on the horizon. By 10pm, I was wading in thigh-deep water to rescue my chickens from their coop in my back yard on Phillippi Creek. By 7am Monday, water had flooded my entire first floor up to doorknob level, so 3-4’ of standing water inside. My pool was invisible in the yard, which now bore more resemblance to a dirty, scary lake than a backyard/pool deck.

I watched neighbors get rescued in kayaks. Fortunate to have a multi-story home, I was able to stay (relatively) safely inside until I was able to leave Tuesday to stay with friends and family for a few days. As far as flood victims are concerned, you might call me lucky. Most of my living space was above the water level and as of now, the yard looks like a yard again, albeit with a 2” covering of mud slick on absolutely everything touched by the waters. I only lost 1/2 of everything I’ve ever worked for; so many people lost it all. And we have to ask ourselves: WHY???

The Fallacy of “A One in a Hundred Years” Event

I have lived in Sarasota for going on 20 years, and have spent the bulk of those years on Phillippi Creek in South Gate, an area most of you know I adore for so many reasons. I have watched two major hurricanes and innumerable nasty storms roll through here, never having any issues with flooding, never fearing for my life, my pets, my family, or my home. But this time was different. I have heard multiple news outlets and politicians say over the past few days how this historic flooding was a result of a “hundred year event” or even a “two hundred year event,” meaning basically that it’s a less-than-once in a lifetime problem. However, when our drought was finally broken after nearly 2 years this past June, that rain ALSO was a “one hundred year event,” which begs the question: how many one in one-hundred years events are happening this summer to Sarasota residents?

The world is calling them “major climate events” and they show no sign of stopping. Warming waters in the Atlantic, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, means that hurricanes pull in more water vapor and heat than they used to, resulting in stronger wind, heavier rainfall, and more flooding when the storm hits land. So please, dear news anchors and politicians, stop telling us this was so rare we don’t have to worry about it again. It will happen again and the question is Is our local government making the best decisions for our area to keep us safe when it does? Answer: a resounding NO.

Laymen’s Explanation of Watershed

I am no scientist, so I encourage you to read through some of the articles below in order to get more information about this topic. But one thing seems very clear to me: the lack of appropriate watershed in our area is why Phillippi Creek flooded, and irresponsible development of our area is the root cause of it all. Hundreds of people are out of their homes, have lost valuables in addition to their security, because our county commission just can’t say NO to developers.

There is a large tract of land east of the interstate that - for many years - was designated for watershed. This is what we now know as the Celery Fields. The lakes around the Celery Fields were drudged up to create better watershed for the area in the very early 2000s, to lessen the burden on Phillippi Creek during times of flooding. So it should come as no surprise that since this area has had a significant density increase over the last 3-5 years, that water no longer has very many places to shed and the threshold of the Creek has been pushed to its limit. In less than 5 years, multiple giant apartment buildings have been added to the area, including 2 huge shopping plazas (the one with Cooper’s Hawk & the new Big Top Brewery, etc. and Fruitville Farms, where the new Publix is), as well as countless buildings popping up next to the Fruitville Library that look like they will be office space. To be clear, I am strictly talking about one area here: East of I-75 on Fruitville to just past Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. You can walk this section of Fruitville in about 5 minutes; it’s not like this is a 3-mile section of the road — all this development on roughly 3/4 of a mile worth of Fruitville Road. 3/4 of a mile that used to be… you guessed it… WATERSHED!

We all have been watching this growth wondering what it was doing to the fabric of our community, but what we didn’t realize is what it was doing to our literal safety and security as residents of Sarasota.

You can hear a lot about how this plan went wrong in the first half of the WSRL podcast, for which I was interviewed. Stick around past when I talk to hear from Jon Thaxton, a former county commissioner.

My sister took the below video on Tuesday, August 6.

What We Can Do

VOTE!!! Elections for the Sarasota County Commission are next Tuesday, August 20! From my research, it seems like Alexandra Coe is the most anti-developer candidate for District 1 (which is where I live), but do your own research and vote for who you think will help steer Sarasota in the right direction. I found this interview with her from July to be not only very timely, coming less than 2 weeks before this catastrophe, but also useful in getting to know that one of her biggest priorities is better accountability and management of growth in Sarasota. And we have a lot of questions for her opponent, incumbent Teresa Mast. Local elections matter! We can’t let our local government go unchecked while making the decisions that have led to this obscene rate of growth, without due diligence to ensure the safety (as best as it can be assured, of course) of the residents to whom they are accountable.

Make your voice heard! I’ve spoken to many Sarasotans who share my concerns. We need to let the County Commission know, with the loud, un-ignorable voice of many, how unacceptable it is that they are permitting building all over our necessary and vital watershed areas.

Get educated and be prepared! What Debby has taught me is that we cannot rest on the “It won’t happen to me” mentality. Research your flood zone, find out more about flood insurance plans and obtain one if you saw cause for concern with the Debby rains, and know that ultimately it is on us to be prepared for these storms. Many people whose homes were not flooded themselves were flooded in due to impassable roads, so be sure you have appropriate amounts of emergency water and food during storm season. If flooding is expected, move cars to high ground, because having your car sit in standing water for 3 days most likely results in your car being totaled, I unfortunately now know from experience.