Before Hurricane Helene, city officials say, Sanibel Island had already reached more rainfall than in all of last year.
Sanibel Island begins to see impact from Hurricane Helene
Sanibel Island begins to see impact from Hurricane Helene
On the two-year mark since Hurricane Ian battered Sanibel Island, city officials provided an update Saturday on the progress made since despite a “step backward” because of Hurricane Helene.
Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson said two days after Helene scraped the barrier island Thursday, some roads continue to hold water and electricity restoration efforts remain active.
Johnson said the city’s Island Water Association notified there were no pressure changes. He said a boil water notice is not effective.
City Manager Dana Souza said that while officials expected up to 8 inches of rain, rain gauges instead showed the community saw between 2 and 3 inches of rain. He said isolated areas could have experienced more rainfall.
Before Helene, Souza said, the city already accrued 53 inches of rain this year.
“Our system was full,” Souza said. “Our ground was saturated already.”
In all of last year, Souza said, rainfall totals reached 35 inches of rain.
Souza said other impacts to island roads include the presence of leaf matter and smaller debris. He said the city and county have finished scraping sand off the Blind Pass Beach area.
Beach parks remained closed Saturday, Souza said.
“It will take us some time before we can get all our beach parks back open,” Souza reminded residents.
‘Significant flooding’: Hurricane Helene aftermath: Sanibel causeway closed, ‘Significant flooding’ on the island
The city manager reminded residents not to put debris curbside and asked that small debris be put in bins, not exceeding 50 lbs.
He later addressed power issues, adding that 300 customers remained without power on the island Saturday. Souza said he estimates all residents should have power restored by 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and added that if crews do not meet that deadline they would resume work Sunday.
Souza said their damage assessment team still out on the island, adding he expected that to be completed Saturday. He said a report will be sent to county, who then sends their findings to the state. The state then forwards a finalized report to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
â–¶ Sanibel from the air: Two year’s after Ian (but before Helene)
Councilmember, former mayor Holly Smith reflects on progress
Councilmember Holly Smith, who was the city’s mayor when Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, reflected on the progress made since.
“I’m kind of taking a breath. My heart’s pounding a little bit,” Smith said. Because we’re looking right now and here we are two years from Hurricane Ian”
Smith said she did not think it would be “where we are today.”
“What our community does is we come through,” Smith said, later adding that, “It’s always darkest before the dawn. But the sun did come out.”
Smith said Hurricane Helene “much more impactful” than Tropical Storm Debby, “but this is not what Ian was and we will move forward.”
‘Sanibel strong,’ Vice Mayor Michael Miller says
Vice Mayor Michael Miller said crews dealt with difficult conditions across “53 miles of roads on the island.”
“With respect to Hurricane Ian, yes it’s been two years and yes there is a déjà vu feeling about it,” Miller said. “A lot of us are still recovering from Ian, so now we’re gonna be recovering from two storms at once. But we can do that because we are Sanibel strong.”
‘I lost a car, saw that storm surge’
“Like many of you, I have lost a car, saw that storm surge that none of us really expected although we knew that there were warnings that it was coming,” Councilmember Laura DeBruce said.
DeBruce said Hurricane Helene is a “step backwards,” leaving Sanibel residents to face “the worst since that time,” referring to Hurricane Ian two years ago.
“we proved stronger than ian and this is a step backward”
More injuries and fatalities often during storm cleanup
Councilmember John Henshaw said reminded residents that most injuries and deaths happen during cleanup efforts and urge caution.
“As you begin to clean up, please be safe,” Henshaw said. “Use the right footwear, gloves and be mindful that it’s slippery and we don’t want anybody to fall.”
Henshaw reminded residents not to illegally dump chlorinated water from their pools into nearby canals and bays, citing damage to the waterways.
Sanibel Island remained closed to visitors since Hurricane Ian destroyed the barrier island on Sept. 28, 2022, until it reopened to visitors on Jan. 2, 2023.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.