Plus, the standoff on beach renourishment
The price tag for Tallahassee’s May twisters stands at $50 million and counting, the state eyes a Central Florida warehouse as the site of an emergency hub for disaster supplies and response, and a homeowners mutiny slows beach nourishment in Pinellas County. It’s all in this week’s Disaster Management Digest.
Dozens of felled trees block Murat Street in the hours after the tornados, May 10, 2024. Courtesy, Adrian Holt
Tallahassee Twisters: In the weeks following the three converging tornadoes that struck Florida’s capital city on May 10, the true economic loss is emerging, landing in the ballpark of $50 million according to Mayor John Dailey. The city is also mourning a second death that was attributed to the wild storms; a 17-year-old girl who succumbed to injuries sustained from a fallen tree. The dollar cost is only going up, as teams of workers still comb the streets removing debris and making general repairs. Officials have been in talks with the White House and asked that FEMA declare a major disaster, which would allow for federal assistance toward much-needed relief to a struggling community. But FEMA seems hesitant – even with direct pleas to President Biden, the help is still in limbo. “That’s where we can be the most impactful as a community and a government, is working with FEMA,” Dailey told WTXL-TV. He said the city is reviewing its response to the disaster, asking “what worked well, what were our challenges, what do we need to recreate, how do we move forward?” Please keep Tallahassee in your prayers.
Florida Eyes Emergency Hub: Governor DeSantis and the state cabinet will meet this week to consider purchasing a warehouse in Central Florida to be outfitted as a new “hub” to store and move supplies during hurricanes and other states of emergency. The 40-acre site would be duly upgraded, with 422,199 square feet of warehouse storage, be fully air conditioned, with new docking capabilities, space for hundreds of trailers and cars, and even full living quarters. This huge accommodation would house supplies from the state’s Division of Emergency Management, including food, water, tarps and generators to respond to emergency activation and response. The Florida legislature allotted $116 million for this project, with up to $75 million for the procurement of property and associated closing costs – but the purchase remains “subject to appraisal” according to the cabinet’s latest statement.
Redington Shores beachfront (undated). Courtesy, Redington Shores
Mutiny in Pinellas: Redington Shores is a beautiful beach town in Pinellas County known for its scenic coasts – but recently it’s become home to a standoff between homeowners and the US Army Corps of Engineers ready to help a community bolster its hurricane defenses. It all started with the erratic storms swarming the Gulf of Mexico, leaving much of Pinellas’ dunes barren, and in turn, the beach communities defenseless from new storms. As the Corps heads to coastal communities with tens of millions of dollars in sand for beach renourishment, it must be granted express permission through ‘easements’ from private property owners to conduct their work. Sounds simple enough, but about half of the 461 residents along Redington Shores are outright refusing to sign the necessary easements for a multitude of reasons, including losing their beach view to towering dunes and unwanted tourists playing in their backyard. Now, the Corps is refusing to provide the $42 million in sand until the area is unanimously onboard, which is causing some tension between neighbors and an impasse that might need further intervention – historically, that means the use of eminent domain after repeated ‘No’s’ from homeowners. You can read more in Grist.
LMA Newsletter of 6-10-24
