Blame game begins as global warming marches on

Between 1900 and 1960, 16 named hurricanes hit Florida. From 1992 to today, we have been hit by 10.

The frequency and strength of tropical storms and hurricanes is increasing. Many want to deny that global warming exists, but the truth is, our oceans are rising and the water is getting warmer. And as a warm Atlantic Ocean means more storms, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Hurricane Ian recently showed us the damage from storm surge. Ft. Myers, Captiva, Sanibel and Punta Gorda have been wrecked. At current count, 90 people have died and more bodies are expected to be found. The estimated damage from the storm is at least $70 billion and counting.

The finger-pointing and deflecting has begun. Gov. Ron DeSantis claims the cone of Hurricane Ian was not pointed at southwest Florida, and that’s why authorities didn’t tell residents to evacuate earlier. DeSantis’ deflection is partly correct.

Yes, initial estimates indicated the storm was going further north toward Tampa. However, the cone of potential landfall included the hard-hit southwest. The governor should have been more proactive and told people to evacuate. Just like his reaction to COVID-19, DeSantis tends to downplay danger and then blame someone else for his missteps. In this case, his missteps may have cost lives.

Would an earlier evacuation order have saved more lives? Perhaps, if people listened to evacuation orders. But no matter how urgently and stridently people are told to evacuate, there will always be some who refuse to leave their homes. I have heard the rationales from “I’ve been through several hurricanes with no damage” and “the news is just trying to scare people” to “my home has shutters” and “we plan to hunker down.”

While our building codes have gotten better since Hurricane Andrew’s destructive outcome and we now have shutters, hurricane windows and stronger roofs – none of these are strong enough to withstand 150+ mph winds. Nor can a one-story structure withstand the combination of torrential rains and 16-foot storm surge.

Anyone living in a coastal area can suffer the consequences of storm surge. Even those inland can suffer from

flooding when 20+ inches of rain falls and especially when nearby rivers and canals overflow, as we are seeing now in central Florida. Our reality is that the Peninsula of Florida is just a few feet above sea level. We all live in a flood zone.

For years, we’ve reveled in our rapid growth as more and more people move to our state. We’ve overbuilt our coastal areas. We’ve built into swamps and wetlands. The consequence is that most of us are now vulnerable to Mother Nature.

In the short run, we can expect our insurance to rise – and many carriers will no longer write policies for windstorm or flood policies in our state. We will rebuild, which is a testament to our resiliency, but perhaps not a testament to our intelligence.

Reginald J. Clyne is a Miami trial lawyer who has practiced in some of the largest law firms in the United States. Clyne has been in practice since 1987 and tries cases in both state and federal court. He has lived in Africa, Brazil, Honduras and Nicaragua.