SANIBEL, Fla. — A new engineering report presented to Sanibel City Council warns that sea levels could rise over 2 feet by 2070, potentially bringing storm surges of over 5 feet to the island every two years.
Watch as Sanibel Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, reports from the Lighthouse Beach Park Shoreline:
Johnson Engineering presented diagrams showing potential surge flooding that could occur every two years now compared to what it would look like in 2070. The darker blue areas on the maps indicate deeper water.
"I do want to emphasize, that surge management is something that we don't have the ability to manage, stormwater management we can manage. And I think that it is managed well," Dana Souza, Sanibel Town Manager said.
In what presenters called a "worst case sea level rise" scenario, a storm surge of over 5 feet will hit the island every two years. For comparison, that's what Sanibel experienced with both Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.
"It's really just something to really put into perspective that it is something we have not seen before in this area, certainly with this intensity or with the repetitiveness that we've had in recent years," said Sanibel City Engineer, Oisin Dolley.
To adapt to these changes, Johnson Engineering recommends elevating roads to at least 4 feet above current grade. City leaders say implementing these changes could take years and might depend on state and federal funding.
The city is still reviewing the stormwater master plan update, and council members say they'll hold another meeting before finalizing it.
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