Seawalls are a big problem. Post-Hurricanes

STORM SURGE FLOODING CANALS IS A WORRY FOR PEOPLE IN CAPE CORAL.

Damaged seawalls are being reported by people living along the water all over the county. As more and more reports come in, it will take longer and longer to fix them.

Hurricane season is coming up, so check your seawalls and be ready.

Along the coast, the storm surge is often the most dangerous part of a hurricane for people and property. Many of the big hurricanes that have hit land have caused the ocean to rise, which has caused a lot of deaths in the past. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is a great example of how surge can cause damage and destruction. At least 1,500 people died because of Hurricane Katrina, and many of these deaths were caused directly or indirectly by the storm surge.

Storm Surge vs. Storm Tide

Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water caused by a storm that is on top of and different from what is expected from the tides. Storm tide is not the same as storm surge. Storm tide is the rise in water level caused by the combination of a storm surge and the normal tide. This rise in water level can cause severe flooding along the coast, especially when a storm surge happens at the same time as a normal high tide, which can cause storm tides to reach 20 feet or more.

When a storm hits near Cape Coral, people worry that canals will flood and cause a lot of trouble.

There is a good chance that the canals will flood if a storm hits north of Cape Coral. In that case, you must get your home and yourself ready.

No matter where you live, you should look at your situation and figure out what is safest for you and your family.

Seawalls stay standing when the pressure from the water on one side and the pressure from the land, called upland pressure, on the other side are equal.

Nearly everything was destroyed there. Aerial footage from ABC News shows homes with damaged or missing roofs, some that have moved off their foundations, and rows of houses surrounded by water from the storm surge.

“Sanibel is a mess,” DeSantis said. “It was hit by a biblical-style storm surge.”

He said that people who were still on the island were being helped to get to safety. On Thursday night, officials confirmed that two people had died on Sanibel Island. This brought the total number of deaths in the state to 14, but the number was expected to rise by a large amount.

WINK News talked to Chief Ryan Lamb of the Cape Coral Fire Department. He said that if a hurricane hits land, the city will take precautions.

He tells people to not only have a plan but also take a moment to think about their own risk.

“If we know something like this is going to happen, the city will take steps like removing grates and lowering wires so we can get that water out quickly. A lot of our problems aren’t about how much water there is, but how strong it is. So, a lot of flooding happens when a lot of water comes down in a short amount of time. But if it rains a lot, but it does so over the course of a whole day, it’s not as bad. So, as a city, we make sure our roads and systems are ready to get as much water out as quickly as possible,” said Lamb.

It’s important to pay attention and have a plan, whether this is your first hurricane or you’ve lived in the area for a while.

This weekend, people in Southwest Florida are looking for all sorts of things to get ready for the storm. Things like water, batteries, and food that doesn’t go bad quickly.

WINK News went to Target, Publix, and Walmart to talk to people about how prepared they think they are for a hurricane.

Some said they don’t feel ready, while others said they feel as ready as they can be.

“It’s not so much the wind as it is the water, and if you’re in a low-lying area, you should leave. We had Irma, and even where I live on the second floor, the water rose. The storm surge came up to our knees and almost flooded out the cars in the carport. So just be careful,” said Peggy Farley, who lives in Cape Coral and is ready for the storm.

Many people who may be new to the area would be seeing their first hurricane, but everyone WINK News talked to hopes the storm goes away.

Seawalls are an important first line of defense against erosion and other damage caused by storm surge, bigger waves, and more turbulence that hurricanes cause. The destructive forces of these storms can do a lot of damage and could even destroy your seawall.

The hurricane lost one side of pressure when its low pressure and winds sucked the water out of the canals and away from the seawall. At the same time, the pressure on the land rose, which made seawalls fall apart or “kick” off the bottom.

When this happens, said Brent Stokes, president of Stokes Marine, the wall can’t just be pushed back into place. The whole section needs to be changed.

And the bad news for most people is that their homeowners insurance doesn’t cover seawalls.