A Washington Post analysis has found that the Pensacola area’s sea level rose 6.7 inches from 2010 to 2023.
Using satellite data, the Post found the Gulf of Mexico has experienced twice the global average rate of sea level rise since 2010. They also looked at gauges along the Southern state shores, the one at neary by Dauphin Island, Ala., showed the 6.7 in. rise – the same gauge only saw 3.5 in. rise from 1980-2009.
Why this matters: Mobile and Pensacola were featured in the article.
The Pensacola segment – “Water With No Place to Go” – stated the city is one of the many contending with outdated and overmatched infrastructure systems. Gloria Horning was featured.
“The water tries to go down, but it has no place to go,” Gloria Horning said outside the home she has owned on S. De Villiers Street since 2016. “The infrastructure is so low, so old, it just explodes because it can’t take the water. And it doesn’t take but a couple of inches for that to happen every time.”
Read Part One: The New Face of Flooding.
Also, it should be noted that last week was the 10-year anniversary of our big flood and the subsequent jail explosion.
Weird how the City of Pensacola was able to fix the flooding problem in Aragon? What possibly could be the difference?
But at least the PPD has money to park their butts at Old Stinky for hours on end to “surveil” Gloria’s activities. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad that all of this could continue to run unchecked. Like I said at the BCC the other night, I respect the mayor’s enthusiasm and drive to make material changes and not just talk about them. As I also said, his fill and build choices have been TOO fast, and a major flood disaster to businesses and residents in the area.
How long will our Escambia and Pensacola elected officials keep allowing adjacent properties to build up and flood their neighbors?
How long will they continue to keep their heads in the sand on the orange alert, all fire emergency that is our totally insufficient drainage system?
If you listen carefully, you can hear them all actively ignoring these comments. Hey, yoo hoo, note to elected officials: “It’s an old system and we don’t have the money” Does. Not. Cut. It.
I know, what a bizarre concept, that elected officials should try to fix flooding.
Note to City Council: believe it or not, it’s actually your job to start to try to fix this. along with Mayor Reeves. Quite hiding behind the Strong Mayor and find some guts to stand up to poorly placed development in your own districts. Allison Patton and Delarian Wiggins, the Belmont-Devilliers Tanyards mess that has been allowed to run on–with no end in site, and in fact more development atrocities on the horizen–is your JOB to fix.
Probably the most futile words I’ve bothered to put down in a long time. Why would any of you start acting now to do what you should have been doing all along?