How can the Sarasota area change course for future hurricane adaptation?

The trifecta of hurricanes this season left their mark on the Sarasota region. As with every major storm event, there are notes to take and lessons to learn. 

In a previous article with the Observer, Climate Adaptation Center CEO Bob Bunting described how this season’s three hurricanes — Debby, Helene and Milton — each had a unique impact. 

Moving forward, he said, “It doesn’t mean we have to give up. What it means is we have to change the way we do business.”

But what does this mean? 

Bunting described many different avenues of both immediate and systemic changes that can be taken going forward.

“Fortunately, there’s a lot we can do if we decide to do it,” Bunting said.

First, Bunting said it’s important for people to realize the risk associated with hurricanes, especially with the impacts of climate change. 

“The threat has changed so much and so the number one thing for recovery is you have to understand what our risks are,” Bunting said.

Earth’s global temperature has risen about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1800s, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Warmer temperatures in the atmosphere create warmer ocean temperatures, both of which are fuel for hurricanes to develop and increase in strength. 

Bunting also said some projections show the average sea level to increase by 10-12 inches by 2050. 

The combination of these climate change impacts creates an increased risk of flooding, storm surge and wind impacts not only from hurricanes but from everyday storms. 

In many of Longboat Key’s low-lying areas, flooding impacts are felt during mundane high tides and rainstorms. 

With climate change in play and increasing the frequency and size of storms, Bunting said the impacts are becoming more dangerous, too.

“We’re in an age now where we don’t need a direct hit to have catastrophic damage,” Bunting said. “That’s something new.”

This is evident when looking at Hurricane Helene, which didn’t directly hit Longboat Key but left some houses completely flooded with more than 4 feet of surge. 

“You have to be prepared,” Bunting said. “Our system that we have not is reactive. In a sense, just reactive to what we know in the past.”

Modernizing communities

To be more proactive and less reactive, there’s a straightforward response: build more resilient homes. 

This includes more modern, storm-resistant materials, especially for homes close to the water. For example, waterfront homes may consider not replacing water-logged drywall with more drywall that will get soaked in the next big storm surge. 

Homes closer to the water, if they are rebuilt, should also be built so that they are raised to prevent risk, or so that the first floor isn’t one that’s inhabited. 

That likely means that communities like Longboat Key should trend away from the ranch-style homes that are common in places like Buttonwood and the Village. 

When people choose to rebuild or renovate after storms, Bunting said it’s also important for local governments to make it as easy as possible for people to recover quickly. 

“Our zoning, our land-use, building codes, processes that people have to go through after a loss has to be streamlined,” Bunting said. 

Homes and businesses need to rebuild smarter and more modernized not only for personal safety and risk but also for local economies. 

“We cannot afford to lose our tax base because, once you do that, you don’t have the choice of adaptation,” Bunting said.

This is cyclical, Bunting explained, because without a tax base, there’s less money for local municipalities to invest in resiliency and adaptation which can help prevent the losses of tax bases in the first place. 

Photo by Janet Combs

Counties and local communities could invest in things like public cooling stations and temporary medical centers to help people in need during heat waves and power outages caused by hurricanes. 

“With cooling centers and medical centers that go into action during heat waves, and especially when we’re in an active hurricane season, we should have all of that staged in advance,” Bunting said.

These areas could provide comfort and electricity for people who may have just lost their homes, or are without power and need it for medical use. 

“We got to think about people who really need the power because their life depends on it,” Bunting said.

Too much risk?

Even though there are adaptation methods at community and county levels, Bunting said the reality is people will still choose to relocate after especially difficult hurricane seasons like this one. 

Large amounts of people moving after major storms or because of climate change-related impacts are referred to as climate migrations. 

It’s something that Bunting suspects has been happening “quietly” over the past few years, and he thinks people have been moving further inland but not outwardly stating the cause was climate-change related. 

Modernizing a home, especially after a major loss like some experienced in Helene, is costly, and rebuilding on the same property close to water means taking on the risk yet again. 

“But people who can’t afford to take the risk should really think about relocating to places where they can afford the risk,” Bunting said. “One thing is for sure, we’re going to have more risk. And if you can’t afford the risk, you should not be there.” 

It’s a valid question to ask after these major hurricanes, and some people might decide the risk is too much to handle. 

But if people want to stay, it’s important to build more resilient homes and for communities to enact more storm-focused policies. 

“They don’t have to leave Florida, they just have to live a bit differently and smarter,” Bunting said. “That’s why I’m optimistic. I’m not pessimistic in spite of the fact we have higher risk. We just have to respond to it appropriately.”