by SC Publisher Shannen Hayes
Sanibel and Captiva experienced flooding as Hurricane Helene passed the island Thursday, Sept. 26, before it made landfall that evening as a destructive Category 4 storm in the Big Bend region of Florida.
Both islands continued clean-up efforts on Saturday, Sept. 28 – the second anniversary of Hurricane Ian, the Category 4 storm that made landfall on Sanibel.
The Love Sanibel Back community gathering scheduled for Saturday was postponed. Instead, an Assistance Center was created at St. Michael’s Church to provide respite for volunteers, a free lunch and assistance from island organizations.
“The cooperation and collaboration we have experienced is no less than phenomenal,” said Sanibel Mayor Richard Johnson in a Facebook Live update on Saturday. He also gave a special shout-out to the Sanibel community.
“Everyone is pulling together. Everyone is cooperating,” said Johnson. “We are all just a little bit smarter than we were two years ago. So, I sincerely appreciate all the cooperation…”
The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation reported a storm surge of 2.5 feet above the 3 feet of high tide when the islands began feeling the effects of Helene.
“But when you add the wind at 50 to 60 MPH on the island, we then had wave action, which would have topped between 8 and 9 feet,” explained City Manager Dana Souza in the update on Saturday. “So, all that contributes to water pushing onto the island, flooding neighborhoods, flooding your yards and businesses.”
Souza said the city’s Department of Public Works crew was cleaning up debris from the roads and Shared Use Path on Saturday. He reported the mounds of sand had been scrapped from Sanibel Captiva Road at Blind Pass by the city and Lee County, and the road is now open.
While much of the water has receded, there is still flooding over the portions of the roads on Sunday. The city encourages motorists to use caution when traveling about the island.
There are still areas without power on Sunday, and LCEC has multiple crews on the island addressing the power outages. Those with ground-mounted transformers may experience longer delays as crews to need to ensure water has receded from the units before power can be restored.
Clean-up will begin this weekend at Sanibel’s beach parks, which remain closed. Souza also said temporary repairs were underway to the city’s sewer line in the Santiva area, where there was a forced main break from the storm, and should be completed by the end of the day.
As was the protocol after Ian, residents with debris should not put it out by the curb. “We are asking residents to put small debris in bins…but do not let the bins exceed 50 pounds. Otherwise, Waste Management will not pick that up,” said Souza. You can contact WM to schedule heavy item pick up by calling 239-334-1224.
While clean-up continues on the islands, businesses are open. “If you come to Sanibel, just know there is standing water so be careful as you pass that, but please come patronize our businesses,” said Souza. “They are still recovering from Ian two years ago, and we appreciate you coming back and helping our local economy.”
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