Featured Events

Introduction

Estero is a beautiful place to live. The tropical weather year-round, as well as quick access to the beaches, are also perks of living in Estero. This comes with risks though, due to hurricane season and copious amounts of rain, water level rising and flooding put Estero at risk.

Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge in Estero

Sea level rise creates lots of risks for Estero residents, especially when combined with storm surges. As global temperatures rise, higher sea levels push water further inland than ever before creating flooding among communities and businesses that used to be safe from floods. Also, about 250 residents within Estero live on exposed land 4ft under sea level (Climate Central, n.d.). On top of that, wetlands and mangroves that protect the coast from rising sea levels are shrinking, reducing the natural barrier against storms.

Effects on Residents

Rising sea levels and flooding issues significantly effects the lives of Estero residents. Insurance costs have increased and selling homes in high risk flood zone areas is problematic. Flooded streets can also block off many main roads, and essential businesses, making daily routines harder and more unpredictable, especially if it is a serious flood. Flooding is one of the most common and costly natural disasters, and also dangerous.  Drowning, dangerous objects, and pathogens from sewers and other sources mixed in with flood water are all a threat due to flooding (John Hopkins, 2024). These issues caused by flooding make it difficult for residents to function normally during a weather event.

Tourism and Economic Losses

Sea level rise, and flooding caused by natural elements like hurricanes and storms heavily impacts the economic boost that tourists provide. Flooding causes destruction to many popular attractions and beaches. This lowers the number of visitors spending money, and as a result, businesses are not making enough money. Businesses can often face closures after storms and costly repairs to buildings or attractions leading to job and economic loss within Estero. In previous years, the Gulf Coast has brought in more than 15 million visitors and multiple billions of dollars to local and essential businesses (CBS, 2024). Tourists potentially choosing safer locations that are not at risk of floods puts Estero’s economic stability and growth at risk.

Conclusion

The effects of flooding and sea level rise in Estero, Florida are putting residents, local businesses, and tourism at risk. With dangers of rising real estate prices in flood zones, the daily strain flooding has on residents makes day to day tasks harder to manage. Overall, floods are dangerous, not only to the economy and tourism, but also to every resident in Estero.

References

CBS News. (2024). Ravaged by back-to-back hurricanes last year, Florida businesses hope to draw in tourists as rebuilding continues. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricanes-helene-milton-florida-businesses-tourism/

Climate Central. (n.d.). RiskFinder: Estero, FL. Climate Central. https://riskfinder.climatecentral.org/place/estero.fl.us?comparisonType=place&forecastType=NOAA2017_int_p50&level=4&unit=ft

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2024). The visible and unseen dangers lurking in floodwater. Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-dangers-of-floodwater JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health