EEKEND Babe's Beginnings Deluge Islands Roads Flood As 18 Inches Fall in Holiday Storm
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September 2,1977 Island Reporter _„ FLOOR PLAN MAY KEE OU INDOORS, BUT ONCE YOU \ YOUR VIEW OF THE GULF »t. >U'LL SPEND MOST OF YOUR VOU 4 NO. 43 SERVING SANIBEL-CAPTIVA AND THE ISLANDS PROM ESTERO BAY TO BOCA GRANDE PASS 2 SECTIONS 48 PAGES SEPTEMBER 9. 1977 20c In years to come ifllanders and visiton ON THE I alike wfll reflect on Labor Day weekend *77. TheyH talk of 18 inches of rain, of rained vacations and lousy business, of flooded rooms and stalled ears, and of p^ffff^g misplaced fish while wading knee-deep along roads turned into rivers. Yet overall, the rains dumped by the tropical depression that preceded Hurricane Babe resulted in more inconvenience than disaster. No accidents, medical emergencies or fires were reported during the entire deluge. 'Lucky* was the word many islanders were using when the flooding EEKEND subsided. The following stories and photographs detail the events of the embryonic hurricane that amounted to the worst storm to sweep over the islands in three years. Staff writers Bradley Fray and Mark Twombly researched and wrote the stories. Babe's beginnings deluge islands Sanibel Police Chief John Butler, who normally leaves his office for home at about 4:30 p.m., never made it last Friday. It was raining too hard. Roads flood as 18 inches fall in holiday storm. The rain began Thursday afternoon, continued through the night and all day Friday. By Friday afternoon roadside ditches had swollen to overflowing, ponds had become lakes, and most of the islands' roads were covered with a rising blanket of fresh, cool rainwater. LIVING ROOM The wet stuff came from a tropical wave 16' * 12*10" - the first step in the formation of a hurricane — that was centered west of the • OINING ROOM 102" « 9' . islands over the Gulf. By late Friday night the wave had climbed one step up the ladder to become> a-tropical depression j* with anT- ill-defined center located about 200 miles southwest of Tampa". ; Even though the storm was moving west out into the open Gulf the islands continued to soak up a series of drenching showers. The incessant rain and increasing flooding led Butler, who finally went home about 3:30 a.m.. Saturday, _to call in several off-duty officers to helpTpatrol the island* Acting Sanibel Mayor Zee Butler, City Manager William Nungester, and Public Works Director John Goode joined Butler at the police station to monitor the situation. Later Lee County Commissioner Bob Whan and Mosquito Control Director Wayne Miller came to the island to survey the rising water. •. Police began receiving reports of flooding SU-'i as early as 4:45 p.m. Friday. Island Inn Road became one of the early trouble spots when the Sanibel River began washing over the road, which was already partially submerged from the heavy rains. At 5:30 p.m. the road was declared Extensive mangrove 'trim' criticized impassable and barricades were placed at each end. Other areas that flooded early included By Mark Twombly Periwinkle Way at the Kona Kai Motel, Wulfert Road, West Gulf Drive west of An area of mature red and. black Rabbit Road, the Periwinkle Trailer Park, mangrove trees located on property owned Donax Street north of Tulipa Way, Middle by South Seas Plantation on Captiva has Gulf Drive, Bowman's Beach Road and been trimmed virtually to ground level by Lee County Mosquito Control District, and • continued on 5-A state and federal environmental officials say they are powerless to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. The trimmed area, which turned about an They'll try again acre of healthy mangrove into a patch of stubby tree trunks, is located on an The wettest storm to blanket the islands undeveloped peninsula known as Bay Island in three years drowned out the only east of the new Captiva Fire District scheduled events of the Labor Day weekend sub-station at South Seas. • - the American Legion fish fry on Sunday The mangroves were cut by the Mosquito and the softbaD AD Star games on Monday i Control District to provide an unobstructed The> All Star games are scheduled to be approach to a planned helicopter landing played tomorrow, Saturday, September 10, . at Sanibel Elementary. The men's game wffl South Seas Plantation President Allen Furnished Models OpenJO.to 5 * '* *:'< begin at 2:00 p.m. and the women's at 4:00 Ten Broek, who said Mosquito Control 2265 Gulf Drive ' ; r- pan. Free beer and soft drinks wffl be recently asked for and received permission provided courtesy of Island Reporter. to develop the landing site, said Wednesday Telephone [813] 472-3194 The fish fry wffl be held. Sunday, s* i n u TTT' i TT a n r c • • * the trimming went "far in excess of what September 11, from noon to 4:30 pjn. at the CoL Donald Wisdom, U.S* Corps of Engineers, inspects was explained to us. We don't approve of Legion Hall on the Sambel-Captiva Road. "trimmed" mangroves. Last week 700 pounds of mullet filets were continued on 3-A cleaned in preparation for <*» fiah fry. A2 September 9,1977 Island Reporter Island Reporter September 9, f977' A3 Support systems strive to meet growth Sanibel residents, already faced with a serious water must know what the demand will be. "We can supply ex on shortage on the island, may soon have to deal with enough water if we get the money," Robson said. IN BRIEF inadequate police and fire protection and a dwindling power He said IWA is also waiting for results from their own By Mark Twombly ment office in Jacksonville, said Corps supply as well. test wells, expected by October 15. to determine the officials would be seeking a "middle ground" Representatives -from Sanibel's four major support amount of available water in the lower Hawthorn aquifer, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is between what is being proposed by South systems -the Island Water Association, Lee County the island's current water supplier. expected to reach a decision next week on Seas, and the objections that have been Budget review Electric Cooperative, Police Department and Sanibel Fire Representatives from Lee County Electric Cooperative several applications filed by South Seas voiced. Control. District -- told the Planning Commission said' Sanibel residents could expect an adequate power Plantation on Captiva for permits to dredge Anderson referred to the "controversial" A detailed "line item" review of Wednesday that growth on Sanibel cannot continue without supply from the island's present substation for three more and fill about an acre of mangrove wetlands. nature of the permit applications as one Sanibel's new city budget wilT be given a simultaneous expansion of the support systems if the needs years. "By 1980, we will want a new substation on the Representatives from the Corps regional reason for Col. Wisdom making the trip to public airing at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, of the community are to be met. eastern end of the island," said Roswell Sherling, chief office in Jacksonville, including Chief personally inspect the site. Another assoc- September 13, at MacKenzie Hall. The The representatives asked the Commission for some engineer for the electric company. Engineer Col. Donald Wisdom, and the U.S. iate of. Wisdom's called him "quite an budget presentation at the special night indication of the rate of growth expected on Sanibel in the The favored site for a new substation would be in the area Fish and Wildlife Service paid a visit to . environmentalist" who is ^wrestling" with meeting will be given by City Manager Bill next 20 years so they could make their plans accordingly. of the old ferry landing, Sherling said. South Seas Wednesday for a final look at new regulations that give the Corps Nungester, who will illustrate with charts The Commission is trying to come up with a rate of growth The present substation, located close to Blind Pass, could the areas affected by the permit requests. -jurisdiction over wetlands' development. formula which would phase the development of Sanibel over serve all Sanibel customers alone by 1980, "but not with the One application involves two South Seas Te.n Broek told the touring officials that and graphs the anticipated city revenues a period of time. type of service we would be proud of," Sherling said. residential lots located in a mangrove area the permit applications represented the end and expenditures. A first reading of the Robson repeated warnings which he and other IWA Lee County Electric Cooperative currently services 4,300 near the beach. According to South Seas of development activity in "ecologically • ordinance to adopt the budget for theofficials have made all summer, saying IWA cannot continue customers on Sanibel. Sherling said he expects that number President Allen Ten Broek permits are sensitive areas" at South Seas. Of 120 acres coming fiscal year and to set the new to adequately service the needs of the community without to reach 5,300 by 1985 and 6,900 by 1996. being sought to place fill for driveways and of mangroves on South Seas property less millage rate will take place at the Monday, substantial improvement and expansion of the water plant. Police protection on Sanibel is adequate now but could be house pads on the lots. than four acres have been or will be filled, September 12 City Council meeting, but He said IWA is currently considering three major, made better with the addition of two sworn personnel, In exchange for the permits Ten Broek said Ten Broek.