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This Just in: 500-Year Flood Hits Central Florida
Hurricane Ian dumped a half-year’s worth of rain in 24 hours and Central Florida’s lakes couldn’t keep up. But, is the statement true?
Two weeks ago, Hurricane Ian slowly crawled across Florida leaving a Biblical amount of rain in its wake. While my home thankfully remained dry, entire neighborhoods and streets remain underwater.
In the aftermath of the storm, meteorologists and politicians started throwing around terms like 200-year and 500-year floods. All storm drains in Central Florida flow to local rivers and lakes and, considering some areas received more than two feet of rain in 24 hours, those lakes and rivers filled up quickly.
What I don’t understand is where they get the 500-year flood claim. Orlando was incorporated in 1875 (147 years ago). The original town was one square mile. Did those original settlers bother to measure the lake depth?
Likewise, the state of Florida joined the Union in 1845 (177 years ago). While there have been inhabitants in the state for thousands of years, I question the record-keeping.
I’m not trying to trivialize anything about Hurricane Ian’s impact here in the state. Lives were lost and many people’s homes are now uninhabitable…
