A Hurricane Trilogy

The second half of the 2024 hurricane season was brutal to Florida's Gulf Coast: three hurricanes - Debby, Helene, and Milton - made landfall in two months, with Helene and Milton less than two weeks apart. Each hurricane wreaked havoc with different flavors of destruction.

Earth Impact's (Ei) global offices reside in Ei Founder & CEO Holly Elmore's Sarasota home, located three miles inland from Sarasota Bay. Sarasota is on the Central Gulf Coast 50-miles south of Tampa and was directly impacted by the three hurricanes.

Hurricanes
With their own personality and parameters, Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton arrived in and left the Sarasota region with unique damage and destruction.

Debby, a rain event
In early August, then Tropical Storm Debby brought 18 inches of rain to Holly's backyard, flooding the lower-yard levels yet not her home. Two weeks earlier a low pressure system ended the severe drought with 16 inches of rain in two days. Thus, the area ground was saturated when Debby's rain arrived and caused severe flooding.

Tropical Storm Debby
street flooding
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Debby's flooding was generally inland along Philippe Creek, a 7.2-mile stream within the Sarasota Bay Watershed, the Myakka River, a 72-mile river that flows through Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties into the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) through Charlotte Harbor, and in several well-established neighborhoods.

Much of Debby's flooding in Sarasota was unprecedented and served as a wake-up call for the importance of infrastructure maintenance; many in the community questioned the common practice of filling in wetlands to build gated communities and other developments.

Before making landfall on August 4 in Steinhatchee on Florida's panhandle, Debby strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.

Helene, a storm-surge event
On September 26, Hurricane Helene moved north through the Gulf around 100 miles off the Florida Central Gulf Coast. Predictions included 4 - 7 feet of storm surge on the Sarasota barrier islands and bay-front coastline. Due to Helene's 100-mile distance off shore, many were surprised when the storm surge arrived as predicted; the storm surge completely flooded the barrier islands and dropped tremendous volumes of sand on roadways and in homes and businesses. The destruction was devastating.

In Sarasota, minimal rain accompanied Helene with Holly recording approximately two inches of rain at her home.

Helene made landfall as a massive Category 4 Hurricane in Florida's Big Bend Region. After making landfall, Helen traveled north causing catastrophic damage in the North Carolina western mountains and other areas; the destruction path was 500-miles long.

Milton, a wind event
Less than two weeks after Helene's devastation, the Florida Gulf Coast braced for a cataclysmic hurricane garnering unbelievable strength as it traveled east through the warm Gulf waters. With minimal time for collection, streets on the barrier islands remained lined with debris from cleanup of Helene's destruction. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton barreled towards the Tampa Bay / Sarasota area.

Fallen tree near Holly's home
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

At 8:30 pm on October 9, Milton made landfall on the southern portion of Siesta Key, one of Sarasota's barrier islands, as a Category 3 storm; two days earlier Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane breaking records as one of the most powerful storms in the Atlantic basin.

For nearly an hour, Milton's eye hovered over the Sarasota region gifting residents with the surreal silence inherent within the eye of a hurricane.

Though the area lost tremendous elder tree cover, the predicted obliteration of the Sarasota barrier islands did not manifest. A good portion of the region was without power for a week or more.

Old Florida Charm
Hurricane Helene's storm-surge flooding and sand deposits caused unrepairable damage to many of the region's elder homes and businesses. In general, structures designed and built in accordance with the more recent building codes survived the hurricanes with minimal or at least repairable damage. New building codes require elevated living/working space along with hurricane-resistant construction materials.

The Rod & Reel in 2018
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

Sadly, the Sarasota region lost many of its iconic, eclectic restaurants. One local favorite, the Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant built in 1947 survived Helene with only the pier sustaining major damage. Yet, Milton completely obliterated the pier and restaurant; only the sign survived. The Rod & Reel was the first stop on Holly's famed SRQ Tour.

Another popular dining destination, Caddy's Bradenton on the Manatee River was completely destroyed and will not be rebuilt.

Yet, the Cortez Fishing Village established in the 1880's cleaned, repaired, and opened for business within weeks after Milton seemingly destroyed the charming village. Pop's Sunset Grill located on the Intracoastal Waterway and Turtles on Little Sarasota Bay, popular eclectic destinations, opened within days after Milton traveled across the state. It is surreal that Turtles received minimal damage as Milton made landfall nearby.

Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots
When she returned to her hometown in 2021, Holly donated her front yard for an Ei Native Plant Landscape Pilot and her backyard for an Ei Permaculture-Oriented Landscape Pilot. The Holly Elmore Images Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots album chronicles the pilot development and progress. 

The RiA Magazine article, Ei Rewilding Urban Landscapes Pilots, announces the pilots and emphasizes their importance within the Ei Nature Prevails platform.

Oak tree debris in pilot
photo courtesy of Holly Elmore Images

For Tropical Storm Debby, the Pilots were appreciative of the excessive rainfall after the drought during the summer's usual rainy season. As Holly's home is three miles inland from Sarasota Bay, Hurricane Helene's storm surge did not impact the pilots. 

After Hurricane Milton, the pilots were completely disheveled and numerous plants lost. The four massive oak trees on the property provided protection from the intense wind and deposited a significant amount of oak debris throughout the pilots.

The healthy soil filled with active microbial communities and fungi networks absorbed the tremendous rainfall from Debby and held the roots in place for most of the young trees, bushes, and plants. In the overall perspective, the pilots were reasonably unscathed by the 2024 hurricane trilogy and will completely recover over time.

Resiliency is a necessity for those who choose to call the Florida peninsula their home. With warming oceans, increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes are forecasted for the Sunshine State. The 2024 hurricane trilogy is a glimpse of future weather patterns.

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About Earth Impact:

Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

MISSION:

To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

Ei is a creator, an incubator.

Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.

Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.