Skyrocketing property insurance rates will change some minds. For a century, the Tampa Bay area in Florida has been largely void of any direct landfalling hurricane strikes -- and some locals believe the reason can be chalked up to a supernatural force. Hurricane Katrina (2005) is a prime example of the damage and devastation that can be caused by surge. As a hurricane's winds diminish, so does its ability to cause damage. Although there were tragically two deaths in the Sarasota area, and reports of damage and power outages elsewhere, the region was, for the most part, spared. "The land around New Orleans is sinking, which puts the city in more danger if another major hurricane strike.". This article represents the opinion of the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board. According to the NSW, Naples saw a. Nevertheless it managed to produce extensive damage and power outages. I have no idea. As sea level rises, the same storm surge will be able to flood more areas because the baseline upon which its happening is higher, McNoldy said. In 2017, Hurricane Irma appeared to be headed straight into the Gulf of Mexico toward the St. Petersburg and Tampa area, before it turned into Marco Island instead, 146 miles south of St. Petersburg and Tampa, allowing the area to largely avoid a catastrophic direct strike. As time goes on, it comes true.. The headline read, "Weatherman Optimistic for Future.". After all, they are called barriers for a reason. As the Gulf Coast just south of Tampa Bay recovers from the devastation left from Hurricane Ian, many Tampa Bay residents are breathing an uneasy sigh of relief. Newspaper reports at the time warned of a hurricane churning in the Gulf of Mexico, but no one knew where or when it would hit. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 shined the light on how devastating a tropical system can be for the city of New Orleans. Key West with maximum elevation of 18 feet above sea level makes it susceptible to heavy flooding and storm surge during a hurricane event. "Folk tales give us comfort, so we use something we can't disprove," Baram said. There are two version of the Native American folklore: either the knowledge that Sarasota was a safe haven was passed through generations of Native peoples or their burials places provided the protection from hurricanes. The only other hurricane known to have made a direct hit on Tampa Bay was the Great Gale of 1848, which made landfall in Clearwater, Florida in late September174 years ago. Storm Team 8s Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli explained. "Like Miami, Tampa is a large metropolitan area and the effects of a hurricane would be widespread throughout the city," Samuhel explained. It is one of the few coastal places skipped over by Spanish explorers, the only people who wrote descriptions of early Florida. Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer. Even so, some of those facts are slow to sink in. It made landfall in Big Pine Key as a category 4, causing devastating damage. So we are very fortunate we have not been hit by a major hurricane in close to a hundred years.". Why here? Have the app? When he's not teaching a Florida history class at St. Petersburg High, he works as executive director of the Saint Petersburg Museum of History near the Pier. The tribe began dying off due to war and disease brought by a Spanish explorer and his men in the 16th century. And its certainly possible banks will stop writing 30-year mortgages for some hurricane- and flood-prone homes. Those numbers also go a long way to explaining why it would be naive to expect property insurance rates in Floridas coastal counties to tumble anytime soon. "Port Tampa Bay was also the first U.S. seaport to be named 'Storm Ready' by the National Weather Service when we received the designation. While that figure includes pets of all kinds, dogs Today, the U.S. economy looks very different than it did hundreds of ago. Gov. FSU rallies from 25 points down, stuns No. Yet for years storms seemed to bypass the region somewhat inexplicably. ", "They ended up using a pole skiff similar to the one behind me here because the waters were moving too quickly. Dr. Luther said there are also chemicals for the phosphate industry and refined ammonium stored at the port. Paluska asked. "There is. In general, cyclones moving over the Gulf of Mexico had a tendency of passing well north of Tampa, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration said in report on the 1921 storm. The NWS describes the hurricane as "the forgotten nightmare." The day it roared ashore, the morning edition of the St. Petersburg Times had the headline "City Escapes Big Hurricane." There were several reports that Key West was destroyed. Technically, Irma did make a direct hit on part of Tampa in 2017, though it was a bit of a glancing blow from a weakened hurricane. There are a number of serious hazards that come along with hurricanes striking a coastal area. We asked. "I don't think we're in a blessed or protected place," Fox said while shopping at Home Depot. They also make sure the petroleum tanks themselves are at least halfway full. About 40% of it goes into the facilities at Port Tampa Bay.". "These numbers are not based upon property damage but instead focus on the chances that a hurricane will strike a region based upon factors such as geography and location. Ive lived here 34 years, and Ive yet to see a hurricane hit us. It was so strong that it caused damage to coastal structures which were miles away from Pasco County south through southwest Florida and even destroyed ships smashing them against docks after pulling them off their moorings. "It would be catastrophic. "The storm did weaken to a Cat 1 while making its closest approach to the Tampa area," AccuWeather's Chief Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said, referring to the storm's Category 1 strength, which had dropped considerably from its Category 5 intensity by that point. "I've had Realtors call and ask if it's true so they can advertise it," he said. In fact, our coastal location, topography, and large population make us significantly vulnerable to a wide array of hazards, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and sinkholes. "You see?" A myth has grown over the last century that Native American mounds are protecting the Tampa Bay area from major hurricanes. In the Tampa Bay Area, only 2 of the above catastrophic hurricanes impacted the area - Charley and Irma. Lisa Parker draws a blank when asked where she heard it, but she knows she did. According to Tampa Historical, an interactive web exhibit created and maintained by students and faculty at the University of South Florida; the storm was dubbed the "Granddaddy" of all hurricanes: Fort Brooke was a small military outpost located in the heart of where modern-day downtown Tampa now sits. Not since the Tarpon Springs hurricane struck the region in 1921 has Tampa Bay been directly hit by a major storm. The most recent major hurricane was Irma, making landfall in the Florida Keys as a category four storm. The Florida Keys are an archipelago of about 1,700 islands spanning 113 miles with Key West located at the southern tip. Wind too strong.". "On the Port Resiliency Index, developed by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the Port scored 95%.". "Tampa Bay is very surge-prone because of its orientation." The National Hurricane Center is predicting storm surge in Tampa Bay and surrounding waters of between 5 and 10 feet (1.5 and 3. Storm survivor Ethel Swanson was 7-years-old when the storm hit. As hurricanes move inland, they can no longer feed off of the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean, and so they lose strength. Thats all the more reason for people and places to get prepared. Still, the Hurricanes have used players like Gostisbehere effectively in years past. Was Florida red tide made worse by Hurricane Ian? war and disease brought by a Spanish explorer, Supernatural forces at play? Phil Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, noted that only one of five hurricanes at Category 3 strength or higher has struck Tampa Bay since 1851. "The Tampa International Airport is 25 miles [from where Irma's center was] but the eastern part of the city extends well over 20 miles to the east," Kottlowski explained. A storm like the 1921 hurricane would turn Pinellas County from a peninsula into two separate islands. A storm surge of up to 11 feet damaged and destroyed many structures along coastal locations from Pasco County south through southwest Florida. 13 Miami, Why would Florida Republicans want to name a road after Rush Limbaugh? ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Its been more than a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3 million today. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. But the eye-popping numbers in the First Street report are just the latest proof that ignoring one of the states greatest threats wont make it go away. "Or would they let a hurricane hit to get even with the Spanish and the white settlers that moved down from the north and took their land? In 1981, Swanson also talked about her life in Oldsmar for a research paper for the University of Florida. The Tampa Bay area hasn't suffered a direct hit from a hurricane since 1929. For Florida, the challenge is so massive as to seem intractable. With climate change and sea-level rise, Dr. Luther says a storm similar to the 1921 hurricane would be even worse. But the legend grows each year that goes by without a destructive storm battering the Tampa Bay area. Kottlowski explained that Irma "was a Cat 1 when it passed just east ofdowntown Tampa with a tropical-storm-force wind field of over 300 miles. What are those large pyramids next to the Skyway? Not able to get out. Some people believe American Indians here blessed the land to protect from hurricanes. It's a connection she believes is the reason why Tampa Bay hasn't seen a direct Hurricane hit since 1989. Another, to the magic powers of Siesta Key's white sand beaches and underwater crystals. Tampa Bay has dodged a direct hurricane hit for a century It's one of the most populated areas on Florida's Gulf Coast, but hasn't had a direct hit from a landfalling hurricane in 100 years.. Just how vulnerable? Today, that number is almost 395,000. If it has anything to do with Indians and hurricanes, it's not true. That's not going to drain out quickly," said Cathie Perkins . A new study suggests that climate change is making back-to-back hurricanes more common, which could make it tougher for coastal communities to recover. She stocked up on hurricane supplies and is planning to put shutters on her house. One in 9 could see 3 feet or more of storm surge a level forecasters call deadly. Downed power lines in Ybor City, the trolley line washed away along Bayshore Boulevard, flooded homes in Hyde Park, and docks and boats washed ashore along where the current Tampa Riverwalk now runs. Ca n't disprove, '' Baram said while shopping at Home Depot disease brought by a major hurricane.. One of the above catastrophic hurricanes impacted the area - Charley and.! Reason for people and places to get prepared somewhat inexplicably that Key West maximum. 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