On Thursday, Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene hit the Big Bend area of Florida around 11:00 p.m.
The category 4 storm has left flood victims along the Gulf Coast and Southeastern U.S. with a death toll that has reached 179 people as of Wednesday.
Even though Pinellas County received less rainfall than North Florida, more than 500 water rescues were completed during Helene.
High flood waters left people west of U.S. 19 along the Gulf Coast completely inundated with flood water.
But it wasn’t rainfall that caused the flooding, it was storm surge and high winds.
“The real problem for those in Tampa Bay, is when we have a tremendous amount of storm surge caused by the storm itself pushing water into the bay, but we also have a tremendous amount of rain on the land at the same time that is trying to make its way to the ocean,” Dr. Tom Frazer said. “That water that falls on the land has nowhere to go.”
Frazer is the executive director of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.
Helene’s brought record-breaking storm surge to St. Petersburg and Tampa. Water levels were 2.3 feet more than what Hurricane Elena brought in 1985, according to NASA.
Sea levels in St. Pete have risen nearly six inches since 2010, according to the Florida Climate Center. And sea levels continue to rise alongside development and population growth in Tampa Bay.
More developments and construction mean two things in the face of a hurricane: more people that will need help and less space for the water to flow, according to Frazer.
“As we continue to develop the landscape, we have to be cognisant of the fact that we are going to modify or alter the way water flows on that landscape,” he said. “We have to pay attention to that so we can better design our stormwater systems, so it doesn’t cause flooding for folks.”
The risk value for coastal flooding in Pinellas County is nearly $1.5 million higher than the risk value for coastal flooding in Hillsborough County, according to the National Risk Index.
Frazer said better designing stormwater systems will assist in moving water on land, whether by rain or sea, and help how it will impact residents of nearby areas.
While damage assessments are still being solidified, Moody’s Analytics predicts that across the Southeastern U.S. property damages will cost upwards of $15 billion.
As of Oct. 2, the total estimated insured losses for Helene is $777,772,440 in Florida, according to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
“My hope is that the lasting impact is that people are more aware and will take greater precautions moving forward so they can better plan for these storm events,” Frazer said.
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