SANIBEL, Fla — It’s official - August 4th is now Donax Village Day on Sanibel! That’s because after repeated storm surge flooded Donax Village, all the homes got lifted eleven feet… all at once. Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski was there in June when the prep began, and returned for the big day and the special announcement.
Watch to see what the lift looked like and what it means for the Donax Village neighbors:
“I, Mike Miller, Mayor of the City of Sanibel, declare this day Donax Village Day,” Miller said, followed by a round of applause.
With a push of the lever, the homes began their climb above the flood line. And for homeowners Tom and Therese Hughes, it’s a relief after what they’ve been through. They say Hurricane Ian brought 12 feet of storm surge through the neighborhood and flooded their home with five feet of water.
“We saw the ceiling had fallen in. The ceiling fans, refrigerator, appliances were on their sides,” the Hughes said.
And after Ian, the Hughes say Helene and Milton brought even more flooding to a neighborhood that was still trying to recover. That takes a village, and the Hugheses say Donax Village came together to all raise their homes, and their peace of mind.
“If you don’t want to wake up every day during hurricane season and think, ‘What’s the Weather Channel say about South Florida,’ then yeah - it is worth it,” the Hughes said.
Davie Shoring led the lift with a crew of 40 and five hydraulic machines. Operations Supervisor Chris Ellis says a lift costs around $110 to $120 per square foot, and by Monday’s end, all 11 buildings will stand 11 feet higher.
“It’s giving a lot of people hope. Because there’s still a lot of people out there that don’t know what to do with their house,” Ellis said.
That’s because across Sanibel, Mayor Mike Miller says Ian damaged nearly all 4,000 homes, with more than half suffering major flood damage. And in the past three years, four hurricanes have flooded Sanibel with 3 to 13 feet of storm surge.
So, if you’re considering a lift, Miller says start with the city’s building department to see your options. “Throughout the island, every activity must be made more resilient to future storm surge that we think may be coming,” Miller said.
