The Manatee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously Thursday to extend the local state of emergency an additional week.
This came as staff was instructed to initiate a third-party investigation into the response to and recovery from Debby.
“That inquiry is already under way,” said Manatee County Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski. “We are gathering data and information from our monitoring points and gauges all over the county to create a complete overview of what happened, when and how.”
“We know the why,” said Manatee County Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker—who has been with the county for four decades and seen his share of tropical systems batter the region. “This was a massive rain event that simply overwhelmed all of our streams and tributaries. In some areas, the rainfall amounts were up to five times greater than the built systems were designed to handle.”
Manatee County measured rainfall totals reaching 100- and 500-year levels. This substantial amount of rainfall led to widespread flooding in many areas, some of which had never experienced flooding in the past. For example, at the River Club Boulevard gauge along the Braden River, max stage Aug. 5, 2024, was measured at 19.62’, surpassing a 100-year-flood stage of 18.26’ and an event rainfall total of 14.02”. A short list of record data thus far and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.
While many have suggested flooding was caused by the ongoing release of water from Lake Manatee to ensure the integrity of the dam that impounds the region’s drinking water supply, that just was not the case.
“This was a massive rain event that simply overwhelmed all of our streams and tributaries. In some areas, the rainfall amounts were up to five times greater than the built systems were designed to handle.”Manatee County Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker
“We are blessed in Manatee County with three distinct rivers and their respective tributary areas called watersheds. The Manatee River and Braden River provide drinking water to all county residents,” said Hunsicker. “The watersheds of these two rivers are separated by their own basin geography and controlled in part by two reservoir dams until they flow together (west of I-75). Water released downstream of the Manatee River Dam at Lake Manatee cannot travel upstream to the Braden River and over the city of Bradenton’s Reservoir Dam into the freshwater side of the Braden River. The dam release did not affect those situations on the Braden River.”
Currently, the county response to Debby includes points of distribution at Buffalo Creek Park, Lakewood Ranch Park, and the Myakka Community Center, as well as removing storm debris to support property owners impacted by flood waters.
Residents who suffered from flooding should contact FEMA, download the FEMA app for assistance or get a complete list of resources under the recovery tab at mymanatee.org/storm.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it has opened a Business Recovery Center (BRC) to meet the needs of businesses that were affected by Hurricane Debby. The location is Rocky Bluff Library, 6750 US-301 in Ellenton, open Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Sundays). Disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase of up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter, sump pump, French drain or retaining wall to help protect property and occupants from future damage.
For more information on Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow the government on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @manateegov.
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