After the Storm

Living through yet another close call during hurricane season

Flooded mobile homes in St. Petersburg, FL across the Bay (Source: NYTimes)

We survived Hurricane Helene.

A few hours before she made landfall as a Category 4 in Florida’s Big Bend it passed right by the Tampa Bay area, bringing with it a ton of wind, rain, and flooding.

Weather.com radar at about 6 pm last night

Helene was massively wide and caused damage hundreds of miles outside the eye—I have friends in the Carolinas who received 10 feet of rainfall from the outer bands. It spawned tornados in Florida and south Georgia. As of this morning, millions of people in four states are without power, including one of my in-laws houses.

Source: NYTimes

Fortunately, our home is far enough inland that we are not in a major flood zone. Yesterday we had intermittent power/internet outages and we awoke to a bunch of downed tree branches in our yard, but overall we were extremely lucky and dodged major property damage.

Others in Tampa, St. Pete, and nearby areas were not so lucky. The first person killed by Helene was in Tampa, and the death toll for the storm currently stands at 20 across Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. I was texting with multiple friends this morning who live in downtown Tampa, Clearwater and Davis Island and they saw flooding in the streets, some with multiple feet of water in their houses. Tampa General Hospital experienced significant storm surge:

Helene was at least the third hurricane that significantly impacted the Tampa Bay area since we moved here fall 2019. Far greater than any direct financial costs we’ve personally experienced from these storms is the psychological toll of living with the low-grade anxiety “Is this year going to bring the Big One that destroys our house?” for six months every year. I honestly don’t know how so many people take it in stride their whole lives. Maybe that explains “Florida Man” and some of the crazy behavior down here—when you might not have tomorrow, it cultivates a very “YOLO” attitude.

Four Atlantic hurricanes have made US landfall so far in 2024, a feat which has only been seen five other years since 1851, and we have two full months of hurricane season left to go. This is despite the effects of El Nino, which typically dampen the forces that create tropical storms. Next year, a transition to La Nina conditions plus the increasingly warm water in the Gulf of Mexico will likely create even more storms.

Source: NPR

This is only going to get worse over time. Last June, I wrote about how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of hurricanes and straining home and flood insurance markets:

At some point, we may have to decide whether the benefits of living here are worth the fear and risks.

The only “good” thing about a hurricane is that unlike a tornado or earthquake, you usually have days of advance warning. Before the storm hits, there is a frenzy of preparation: People decide whether to evacuate, they stock up on supplies, fortify their homes, and monitor the news to see what areas will be most impacted. Forecasts have gotten better over recent years and helped people make more informed decisions. This is in large part to thanks to government agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Unfortunately, NOAA is under threat; part of the Project 2025 agenda is to defund and largely dismantle this critical agency:

“The National Oceanographic [sic] and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should be dismantled and many of its functions eliminated, sent to other agencies, privatized, or placed under the control of states and territories”

This is a terrible idea and voters should be aware of those plans. As always, I direct folks to Vote.org to make sure they can make their voice heard this November.

Devastation in Cedar Key, FL (Source: NYTimes)

After the storm, all we can do is pick up the pieces and repair the damage.

And keep an eye out for the next one.

If you would like to help victims of Hurricane Helene, you can find a list of vetted local and national charities on this page from Weather.com 👇