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Tag: Bradenton Beach tropical storm

City cleans up minor damage following Debby

City cleans up minor damage following Debby

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials reported minor damage and flooding from Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4-5 before it became a hurricane, but said that the city fared well overall.

Several of the coconut palms on Bridge Street toppled over during the tropical storm force winds and rain from Debby and were removed by the city.

“We took out five, they were the ones that just could not hold,” Police Chief and Interim Public Works Director John Cosby said. “This was the last straw for them. We made the decision that if they went down again because of the wind, they have to go. We’re going to put some kind of plant in there, but the five won’t be going back.”

Mayor John Chappie said the trees will be planted elsewhere in the city.

“Thankfully we didn’t have a lot of wind,” Cosby said. “We just got a ton of rain.”

Ingrid McClellan, coordinator of the Scenic Manatee Advisory Committee, reported that several palm trees fell on the Gulf Drive medians near the Coquina Beach entrance.

She noted that is an evacuation route for Longboat Key going north.

“We just received a report from Manatee County that crews are onsite taking care of this item,” FDOT Landscape Architect Daryl Richard wrote in an Aug. 6 email, adding that the Alexander palms were restaked.

Two of the city’s finger docks were damaged in the storm and were repaired quickly.

“One came completely loose; the weld snapped,” Cosby said. “We had Duncan (Seawall Dock-Boat Lift) check it and they are being repaired.”

Cosby said there will be no interruption to the Gulf Island Ferry service to Bradenton Beach.

Cosby said five structures had water inundation and one in the Sandpiper Trailer Park had some damage.

BEACH EROSION

Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County Natural Resources director, characterized beach erosion from the storm as “measurable but marginal.” On a scale of 1-10, he rated Anna Maria Island’s shoreline between 3-5.

“We were fortunate that the timing of the storm and tides was not as critical as it could have been. The beaches did a great job protecting our parks, infrastructure and private property,” Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan wrote in an email to The Sun on behalf of Hunsicker.

The next beach renourishment project will take place at least a year from now and that will be based on damage from Hurricane Idalia with FEMA assistance, according to Logan.

Bradenton Beach declares local state of emergency in advance of tropical storm

Bradenton Beach declares local state of emergency

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials declared a local state of emergency beginning on Aug. 2 at 9 a.m. in advance of a tropical system expected to bring heavy rains this weekend.

“We have tropical mass 97-L that’s out there,” Police Chief John Cosby said at an Aug. 1 city commission meeting. “Just as a precaution, Manatee County is going to be declaring a state of emergency tomorrow at 9 o’clock. Ours will go into effect tomorrow at 9 o’clock to coincide with the county’s just in case we need it.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 54 Florida counties, including Manatee County.

Cosby said the state of emergency status can last up to seven days and, if a longer period is needed, it will need commission approval. Cosby also asked the commission to give him discretion to cancel it sooner if necessary.

“Public works will be checking all the storm drains tomorrow, high water signs will go out and any loose objects will be removed and precautionary measures of course as always,” Cosby, who is also interim public works director, said. “Everybody’s been put on notice, they’re on call and if we need to bring everybody in, we’ll bring everybody in.”

The declaration of a local state of emergency allows the city to suspend day-to-day activities and concentrate on storm preparation.

“It also gives the mayor and myself some leeway as far as finance procedures to get things done. It also changes how we pay our employees so the exempt employees can earn overtime during a disaster,” he said.

The local state of emergency declaration is also required in order to apply for state and FEMA funding, according to Cosby.

“In Manatee County we use an incident command system so decisions are all made pretty much as a group, and recommendations are given, everybody agrees on what we need to do. We talk about times if the evacuations should occur, when shelters will open,” Cosby said. “No one can do it by themselves. And under Chapter 252 of the state statutes, every county is required to have an emergency operation center and then everything else falls under that, so once they declare an emergency, they’re taking the lead.”

T​he National Hurricane Center (NHC) says development is likely by this weekend with impacts felt along the Gulf Coast of Florida. According to NHC, “heavy rainfall could linger until early next week, and gusty winds and coastal flooding could also accompany this system, with the details of those impacts hinging on how well organized it becomes.”