How did Sanibel handle Tropical Storm Debby?

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Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in northern Florida, and the excessive rain from the storm’s outer bands caused widespread flooding throughout many parts of Southwest Florida.

The island community of Sanibel held up pretty well according to its mayor.

Storms bring debris, power outages and flooding, but Sanibel weathered the winds and rain overall pretty well.

Richard Johnson, the mayor of Sanibel, said crews worked throughout the weekend to ensure roadways were clear for residents.

“Fortunately, the weather was not so bad that we had to call our crews back in,” said Mayor Johnson, “so they’ve been out clearing branches and some trees that fell on the roadways throughout the weekend. [W]e’re pretty much caught back up.”

However, the beaches are going to need some work.

The parking lots are closed due to flooding, and sand is piled where it should not be.

Flooding is a common sight throughout the island.

Johnson explained, “We just need some time for the water to recede and either soak back into the ground or make its way back out to the Gulf.”

The mayor also said the replenishment of sand after Hurricane Ian did its job and protected the island from any severe flooding.

“This weekend’s tidal surge that we experienced at high tide– by the way, same time they occurred at the same time once again– I think we did very well there, and we did not experience the type of flooding that we had earlier,” said Johnson.

The mayor said the beach parking lots should reopen in a couple of days and that people should be careful around the island, as there is still some standing water.

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