Eta put Bradenton waterways to the test. It could’ve been worse, officials say
Hurricane Eta challenged the Bradenton area’s stormwater capacity when it made landfall Wednesday night, and despite reports of local flooding, the system withstood the test.
Several local streets were inundated by Eta’s storm surge, which brought Wares Creek above the seawall and into the yards of several neighbors. Along the Manatee River, similar flooding occurred on Riverview Boulevard.
“What we had was a big tidal surge,” said Councilman Patrick Roff, who lives in the Wares Creek neighborhood. “The water came up into the road on Virginia Drive, which it does quite often. I’ve been here 30 years and that’s not the highest the water has ever been. It’s all tidal. It came from the Gulf.”
After sitting in the Gulf of Mexico for several days, Eta could’ve done much worse. By 8 a.m. Thursday morning, the storm surge had receded back below the seawall — a good sign for Bradenton’s stormwater system. An inundated system would have taken nearly a week to fully drain, according to Roff.
“Eta had all the makings of a worst-case scenario. We had a storm churning out at sea for a week and then it went straight for us. We got the worst part of a hurricane, which is between 12 and 3 if you’re looking at a clock,” Roff said. “It churned up the Gulf, so when it pushed that water in, it was doing the best it could.”
“The system was tested last night and it worked pretty well,” he added.
Further down Virginia Drive, residents were also spared severe damage. While the storm surge reached deep into their yards, no water entered their homes. Instead, broken tree branches, residual puddles, and litter from the creek were the only signs of the neighborhood’s hurricane encounter.
“The creek came into my flowerbeds,” said Bobbie Goss, who lives directly across the street from the waterway, pointing to the flowers just 10 feet away from her front door. “We’re just dealing with the trash and the debris.”
Another Wares Creek resident, who declined to provide her name, said the storm was a close call for her home, as well. The tide line stopped in the middle of her yard. Surveying the damage Thursday morning, the only casualty was a dead turtle.
On Riverview Boulevard, residents weren’t as lucky. Some neighbors, including Mayor Wayne Poston, reported around 3 or 4 inches of rain in their garages but no water made it into their homes. Eta also temporarily knocked out power and cable in the area. Both services were back up and running by Thursday afternoon.
“The roads were definitely flooded, but we’re used to it,” said Erin O’Brien, who lives near the river, as well. “The majority of the night was A-OK, so we’re grateful.”
Overall, Poston said he felt the city was in good shape. There was no major damage and the city’s Public Works Department plans to spend the coming weeks cleaning debris from storm drains.
“The tides weren’t cooperating, but it went fine. I think we’re in good shape in the city,” Poston said.
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
