Tropical Storm spares Manatee major damage. There was beach erosion, some flooding
Tropical Storm Elsa caused no major damage in Manatee County, but left behind some beach erosion on Anna Maria Island and flooding in East Manatee after nearly a foot of rain fell.
Elsa made landfall at about 11 a.m. Wednesday as a tropical storm in the Cedar Key area with sustained winds of 65 mph. The tropical storm was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane as its center passed near Manatee County on Tuesday night.
East Manatee saw the heaviest rainfall with rain totals of nine to 11 inches, according to National Weather Service Tampa Bay meteorologist Nicole Carlisle. In contrast, the urban corridor along Tampa Bay, including Bradenton, St. Petersburg and Tampa, received only a few inches of rain.
The strongest wind gust reported in the county was 54 mph,recorded at 10:46 p.m. Tuesday at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. Wind gusts of 37 m.ph. in Bradenton and 35 m.ph in Bayshore Gardens and Lakewood Ranch were also reported.
Foercastors feared Elsa would bring tornadoes to the area but only one tornado warning was issued in Manatee County overnight. Issued at 2:09 a.m. for Myakka City, the warning was not confirmed to have been an actual tornado, according to Carlisle.
Neither the National Weather Service nor Manatee County government received any reports of damage in the county.
As of noon, there were 90 homes or businesses without power, according to FPL. A total of 10,410 FPL customers lost power overnight or early Wednesday, but most had power restored quickly. Peace River Electric Cooperative, which also serves parts of Manatee County, reported no power outages.
On Anna Maria Island, swimming remain prohibited on Manatee County beaches because of the rough surf and rip currents caused by Elsa. The storm washed away or destroyed several sea turtle nests along the island.
“We have had some beach erosion. To actually tell how much that is, it’s going to take some engineering to actually look at. I don’t think it’s been extensive,” Manatee County Marine Rescue Chief Joe Westerman said.
Flooding on the island began to recede after high tide mid-morning on Wednesday. Out east, Wachula Road was flooded out and closed at Long Creek. But similarly, flood waters were already receding by Wednesday afternoon.
“Manatee County fared very well and I’m pleased to see our residents took the necessary steps to prepare for this storm,” Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said in a statement. “No matter what category the hurricane is, all residents need to take these storms seriously.”
The Rubonia community just south of Interstate 275 and west of U.S. 41 was also spared significant flooding. The historically Black neighborhood, which sits along Terra Ceia Bay, has been susceptible to heavy rain for years, but a county project is finally underway to add sidewalks to the streets while significantly improving drainage performance.
“We were in pretty good shape. It didn’t do as bad we thought it’d be,” said Chuck Miller, a community advocate. “I’m proud of that. They’re redoing the drainage and I figured things would get bad because of that, but we dodged a bullet this time.”
Ogden Clark, a public information officer for Manatee County’s Public Works Department, said construction on the $4 million project began in January. Contractors expect to finish installing the sidewalks by November 2022.
Bradenton Herald reporters Ryan Callihan and Mark Young contributed to this report.
