An Irresistible Natural Force: Hurricane Milton

As I began to make preparations to drive from my NC Haw River Preserve to FL, ominous reports about hurricane Milton hitting SW FL on Oct. 9, 2024, were in the news. The predominant natural event at our NC place at this time was the occurrence of rose breasted grosbeaks at our bird feeder for several weeks in a row! Indeed I was reluctant to leave this remarkable display until I realized the potential extent of damage to our FL home. We arrived on Manasota Key on the afternoon of Oct. 15 and the predictions of a massive 10.5 high tidal storm surge were proven to be true. We had 14 inches of water in the main house and 2.5-3 feet in the guest house. I had heard of the necessary response to such a flood which requires removal of dry wall and chemical treatment to kill rapidly invading mold. Fortunately my daughter in law Annette and grandson Isaac were available to help out initially as well as three angelic charitable organizations that came to our aid. The photo shows Isaac in the process of cutting the dry wall in the guest house. Most of our wet and moldy possessions/appliances/ beds etc had to be thrown out to the street where a giant tandem black truck hired by FEMA picked the mess up. There was an enormous amount of yard waste also that had to be taken to the street for pickup. We will always be indebted to One Mission Response, Samaritan’s Purse, and Helping Hands who worked very hard, expecting nothing in return- truly an impressive charitable outreach!

The ecological effects of this surge of sea water through our yard are remarkable and need to be divided into the response of plants to aerosols of sea water and the impact of sea water inundation of the soil and roots. Indeed the impacts of the aerial salt water droplets extended inland for many miles causing oak leaves to turn brown. At this moment almost one month after the event many plants are resprouting new leaves but some have not yet done so and may die- only time will tell. Here are a few examples. Initially I was surprised that some plants were still green and did not lose any leaves- halophytes (sea grapes, buttonwood, etc) not surprisingly but also unexpected ones such as gardenias, coontie, snake plants, umbrella plants, and some others. Mulberries (red, white and black) lost all their leaves but immediately sprouted new ones and bloomed! Given that mulberries normally lose their leaves in winter and bloom in the spring, this peculiar response to sea water exposure will be interesting to watch. An instructive area to examine was along our backyard extending down to Lemon Bay. In the panoramic view shown from left to right, sea grapes are green, cocoplum is completely brown (no leaf sprouts), and privet, buttonwood and marsh elder are all green. There is also a bare area on the ground between the higher St Augustine grass and halophytic succulents closer to the bay.

Effects on animals life are harder to evaluate. I have noticed a number of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) in the yard that were not previously present. Just to give one example large numbers of blue dragonlets were seen (note photos of male and female) which previously were not present. This is a species that prefers fresh water ponds and was presumably displaced by the storm. Wandering gliders were also present in numbers which migrate widely across the globe. Butterflies have been virtually absent.

The outflow of flood waters from the land back into the water inevitably carries large amounts of pollutants which has apparently resulted in a bloom of red tide offshore. The main effect of this we see is a fish kill of considerable proportions- I show a sizeable dead hammerhead shark and a mixture of many dead marine species on the beach. We are not yet smelling the toxic red tide aerosols due mainly to predominant offshore winds to date.

Terrestrial vertebrates seem remarkably unaffected by the storm. There has been an adult box turtle foraging in our yard- perhaps a resident one although I cannot be sure of that. Black iguanas are common and it is easy to imagine how they could have escaped the flood waters by hiding in trees. A marsh rabbit would have had a more difficult time but they are reputed to be able to swim.

Birds can of course fly but the storm winds would make that difficult. Just to give a few examples I have seen are a collared dove (normally not found here but only in more developed/disturbed habitat), catbirds, cardinals, and warblers coming to my three fresh water drip baths. Fresh water is a precious commodity on barrier islands and very attractive to birds. Both prairie warblers (maybe near residents), palm warblers (winter residents from Canada), and an immature warbler that is difficult to identify (maybe a first year bay breasted) but comes repeatedly to the water drip. Flocks of white ibis have been foraging in the yard as before the storm. Two pairs of adult bald eagles have been fighting over an osprey nest in a tall Norfolk Island pine next door, and one pair was mating in preparation for winter breeding.

So despite hurricane Milton with devastating effects on human structures, life in nature goes on perhaps more so than we might expect. Indeed I am hugely impressed by the vitality and resistance of natural systems in the face of the destructive power of hurricanes. Certainly this coast has experienced such storms for a very long time and species have developed methods of coping or else been destroyed. Indeed storms are part of the natural order and we humans need to plan better how to avoid/minimize storm damage. Continuing to build on barrier islands and low lying coastal lands is clearly not a wise decision given the rises in sea level which are present and predicted. As a person who has owned property for many years on islands in FL (Manasota and Summerland Keys) and VA (Chincoteague Island), I have a vast appreciation for the natural beauty of these marvelous places but also a huge respect for the fragility of human structures in the face of storms.