The power of water

In September of 2017, I was into my first month as a first-year in college, 1500 miles from home. I was sitting in Café Mac with my friends, sort-of enjoying a meal, when I looked up at the television hanging over the Grille and saw my hometown, Jacksonville, Florida, was underwater.

[a woman walking through the flood to Saint Vincent’s hospital]

September is peak hurricane season for Jacksonville, and I grew up accustomed to being hit by one or two a year, dealing with some days off school, power outages, and street flooding. We always had a decent hurricane stock: water jugs, crank radio, and canned food. Many of my neighbors had small generators to keep their fridge or air conditioning running for a day or so until the power would be put back on. Hurricane Irma was between a Category 1 and 2 hurricane by the time it hit Jacksonville (down from a Category 5), and was supposed to pass over with some rain and wind. Nobody was worried—even when the Mayor ordered 200,000 of the cities 1 million civilians to evacuate. People were so used to hurricane warnings, and being asked to evacuate unnecessarily, that most--including my family--did not. Due to power and phone tower outages, I couldn't get in contact with my mom and sister for three days.

[Homes along the ocean were destroyed]

Jacksonville was wholly unprepared for Irma. ¼ of the city was without power for more than a week, and it caused the biggest flood in 150 years. Homes along the beach and rivers were swept away; 3,000 people ended up living in long-term emergency shelters. The flooding was caused primarily by the Saint John’s River—which runs throughout Jacksonville—and flows north. The storm came in from the west, with winds coming from the south, and the hurricane essentially took all the water and backed it up along every major river. Projects to deepen and straighten the Saint John’s river over the last year left it especially easy to flood. Water in downtown was up to 5.57’ tall, taller than the previous record by close to a foot.

[Jacksonville landmark, Memorial Park, underwater due to Saint John’s river flooding]

It’s been over two years, and much of Jacksonville is still heavily damaged. A large number of people moved out of Jacksonville after Hurricane Irma, and a number of jobs and businesses were lost permanently. Many were trapped in their homes without power for weeks, and the heat also caused a lot of illness and sickness. The greatest damage wasn't caused by the hurricane itself, but by the prolonged effects of flooding on infrastructure. My mom and sister were without power for nearly ten days, and we have a pet reptile who relies on heating pads and lights that are run on electricity. My mom sat outside for nearly 7 hours a day once the storm cleared, holding the lizard in the sun to keep him warm.

 

[a view of downtown Jacksonville, days after the hurricane]

Experts have warned that the flooding will happen again, likely at the next major hurricane, and yet Jacksonville has done little to change or prepare. Since Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Dorian and a number of other tropical storms have hit the first coast. Nothing has risen to the level of Irma, in flooding or in loss of property. However, due to climate change, the city continues to expect more and more hurricanes every season, and civilians hope for the best.

References:

Henson, Bob. “Irma Brings Record Flooding to Jacksonville, Cuts Power to More Than 7 Million.” Weather Underground, 11 Sept. 2017, www.wunderground.com/cat6/irma-brings-record-flooding-jacksonville-cuts-power-more-5-million.

Spanos, Staci. “The Flood and Fury of Hurricane Irma.” WJXT, WJXT News4JAX, 29 Aug. 2018, www.news4jax.com/weather/2018/08/30/the-flood-and-fury-of-hurricane-irma/.