As Hurricane Ian approaches, Tampa flooding project is far from complete
Tampa has been undergoing major infrastructure upgrades to protect the vulnerable city from flooding, but as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida’s west coast,
Tampa has been undergoing major infrastructure upgrades to protect the vulnerable city from flooding, but as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida’s west coast, the project is still years from completion.
The city is in the early phases of a roughly $39 million project to improve drainage and reduce flooding in the Seminole Heights neighborhood. Construction is only about 30% done, said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
The three-year project to build a major stormwater conveyance system began late last year. It was on schedule before Ian threatened to undo its progress this week with forecasted wind speeds topping 130 mph, prolonged storm surges of up to 15 feet expected in some areas, heavy rainfall and possible tornadoes.
“There’s still a significant amount of work really remaining,” Sullivan said. “And without that work completed, exacerbation of flooding and heavy rain is just potentially catastrophic.”
A man loads wood in his vehicle outside a Home Depot store in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Ian in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday.Ricardo Arduengo / AFP - Getty ImagesThe Tampa Bay area is particularly vulnerable to storm surge due to its low-lying geography, said state climatologist David Zierden and Dennis Smith, an urban planner and professor at Florida State University’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
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