Tracking power outages after HeleneThe Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Dekle Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
ESTERO ISLAND Precautionary boil water notice issued for parts of Estero Island A precautionary water boil notice has been issued for Estero Island on Friday.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis to hold news conference in Dekle Beach Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
ESTERO ISLAND Precautionary boil water notice issued for parts of Estero Island A precautionary water boil notice has been issued for Estero Island on Friday.
Bleaching impacting coral reefs in SWFL. CREDIT: NOAA FISHERIES Local coral reefs are reacting to the extreme heat that has been beating down on Southwest Florida all summer long. Surface temperature readings of a reef around the Florida Keys reached higher than 100 degrees in July. It’s a trend that researchers predict is likely to continue. Nevertheless, coral restoration is offering some hope. Snorkeling the coral reefs off the Florida Keys is like entering another planet. A vibrant display of dozens of species cultivated by nature over tens of thousands of years, yet the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the demolition job humans have done took mere decades. “We’ve lost significant coral coverage since the ’80s, and I believe the quote from NOAA is we’ve lost 90% of our reef structure,” said Rachel Morgan, a senior coral biologist from the Florida Aquarium. Morgan has carefully observed the corals degrade, especially throughout the summer’s record-breaking marine heat wave. “When we were diving in June, there wasn’t necessarily any sort of massive stress event,” said Morgan, “but going back in the middle to end of July was a pretty horrific scene underwater, where you’re just watching every coral colony, anything that was, honestly, that was still alive, was bleaching.” Bleaching occurs when extremely warm water causes the coral to lose the algae it needs to survive, leaving them with a ghost-like hue. While it’s not actually a death sentence, Morgan notes they can only endure so much. “Swimming up to one of our restoration sites and of 200 unique genotypes of staghorn coral that we’re really excited about planting in 2019 that looked fine on July 6, were all dead by July 20,” said Morgan. While it’s a huge setback for those working in coral reef restoration, the local ecosystem still has to get through the rest of the summer. “When you lose that coral coverage, a lot of things are going to start breaking down that rock structure, and so we may not see the effects in 5-10 years,” said Morgan. “But in 50 years, when sea levels continue to rise and if storms become more powerful, we’re going to lose a lot of the protective effects that they provide.” Reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean but are home to 25% of marine species.