Longboat Key officials say more help is on the way, reentry timeline still uncertain

Nearly 24 hours after Hurricane Helene began its damage on Longboat Key, town officials held a virtual meeting with community representatives on Sept. 27. 

Fire Rescue Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Dezzi said crews with Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department; Longboat Key Police Department; Public Works and Planning, Zoning and Building spent the day assessing damage in the wake of Hurricane Helene. 

“It was shocking with what we found as we moved north,” Dezzi said. “We found that there were homes that were damaged, a few destroyed, lots of debris, lots of sand, lots of construction material.” 

This damage worsened as teams traveled further north up Longboat Key, Dezzi said. 

As crews assessed damage, backup was called from outside agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Department of Transportation. This included a specialized search and rescue team from Orlando to assist in searching for those who stayed behind. 

Many people who stayed behind have called for help, wanting to go to safety off-island to shelters, Dezzi said. 

There are still many things that need to be done before it’s safe for residents and business owners to return to the island.

Image courtesy of Lorenzo Condensa

Water and wastewater services are still a struggle, according to Dezzi and Town Manager Howard Tipton. Tipton said the water supply from Manatee County is compromised, with a potential leak somewhere and a lack of water replenishing the town’s tanks. 

There’s also concern about the town’s main road, Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

“It’s like sand dunes,” Tipton said. “Our beaches are largely on GMD right now.” 

Parts of GMD may be questionable in terms of structural integrity, Dezzi said, so officials don’t want people driving on the island when parts of the road may not be sound. Since GMD is a state-owned road, the town has to wait for FDOT to respond and assess the road. 

Image courtesy of Jill Ball

Speaking about reentry, Dezzi asked the people on the call to remain patient. Safety is the number one concern for the response crew, and Dezzi said they do not want people coming back until it is safe to do so. 

“I can tell you, at this time, the island is not safe,” Dezzi said. 

During the call, Tipton estimated that the town faced 4-6 feet of storm surge, mainly around 6 p.m. on Thursday night as the biggest surge swept the island. According to resident accounts received by the Observer, there were some parts of the island where the bay met with the gulf. 

This also meant significant impacts to the north and south of Longboat. The road coming from the north from Bradenton Beach is in shambles. Tipton said he heard from FDOT representatives that the road will need to be completely rebuilt. 

To the south, St. Armands remained flooded or impassable, meaning the two ways onto the island were still compromised. 

There is still no estimated timeline of reentry for residents, but citizens who would like to stay updated with the process and receive alerts from the town can sign up for Alert Longboat Key. To do that, visit the town’s website at longboatkey.org and click the button on the top that says “Alert Longboat Key.”