Tropical Storm Ian: Georgia's seasonal high tides will cause flooding as storm comes ashore

Marisa Mecke
Savannah Morning News

When Hurricane Irma hit Savannah in 2017, Betsy Cain's house on the back side of Wilmington Island flooded. In videos from the day, water laps at the back of her house while her neighbor's dock bobs and floats away like a wooden marsh monster.

Being close to the tidal range, watching the coastline and the movement of the water, Cain said the house is an inspiration for her artwork. She's lived there for decades, and she said she understands it's a choice to stay put despite the house's precarious location. She said the county has offered to buy her out of the property, but she and her husband turned down the offer.

Storm live blog:Chatham, Bryan counties now under hurricane watch

See the radar:See spaghetti models, path and storm activity for Georgia

Coastal residents are plenty used to storms and flooding, and with Tropical Sorm Ian on the horizon many are battening down the hatches for the rising water level. Some of those residents, like Cain, have taken extra measures such as raising their houses to prepare for future storms. 

"We've been there since 1993," Cain said, "and never had any flooding until Irma." She said they'd always had high tides and king tides — during one king tide, she said she and her husband kayaked in their yard — but her "beautifully sited" little house on the side of the marsh hadn't experienced major flooding until 2017.

Take a look:See damage done by Hurricane Ian in videos showing storm surges, Category 4 winds

Recent updates:County officials say plan for flooding but 'no reason' to evacuate

Betsy Cain's house on Wilmington Island is in the process of being raised over 10 feet in order to spare the house from flooding.

When Hurricane Irma arrived, a combination of high tide waters and the storm inundated Cain's house. She said the community really supported her after the damage to her house, but for a year, she and her husband were out of their house while it was renovated for damages. In 2018, they began the process to apply for a FEMA grant to lift their house out of the water's way. 

Betsy Cain's house in the process of being lifted. Ultimately, it will be lifted over 10 feet.

What You Need to Know:Tropical storm and hurricane guide for Savannah and Chatham County

"We've been in the process of (lifting the house) since last March, it's been very slow going, but with this storm we don't anticipate water coming into our house unless there's a 16-foot storm surge," Cain joked. Right now, the house is lifted over 10 feet, but the lifting job hasn't been completely finished yet.

'It's called Lowcountry for a reason': Expert anticipates coastal flooding

Hurricane Ian has already caused severe damages as it passes through the Caribbean and Florida, but Enki Research's Chuck Watson, a Savannah-based hazards researcher and hurricane expert, said Savannah doesn't look like it will get the worst of the storm. 

"The Lowcountry ... it's called that for a reason," Watson said. Much of Savannah is surrounded by tidal creeks and marshes, and it's hard for people to grasp how much water gets stored in those marshes at high tide. For the same reason Savannah had trouble with Irma and other winter storms over the years, Watson said Hurricane Ian has wind blowing out of the east onshore causing the water to stack up and store in the marshes. When the storm does come, the tide will already be seasonally high, causing larger flooding. 

Heavy erosion can already be seen on Tybee Island as high surf and heavy winds from Hurricane Ian impacted the area.

"If you look at the tide gauges, it just starts ramping up every tide cycle. More and more water gets pumped in but can't quite get pumped out," Watson said. Looking at the Fort Pulaski tide gauge, he said tomorrow's high tide around noon should be around 8 feet, but instead will have an extra two feet of water, putting the tide around 10 feet high. 

Around 10 feet is when Highway 80 starts to flood, and the water creeps up on low-lying areas like Tybee and Wilmington Island.

Water Log:Tropical Storm Elsa to test the first of a network of rainfall gauges

Watches and Warnings:Chatham, Bryan counties now under hurricane watch

Students from Tybee Island Maritime Academy fill a sand bag for Marvin Sims Wednesday at Memorial Park on Tybee Island. The students were helping out during their PE time as residents collected sand bags ahead of the potential for flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.

Winds could reach sustained tropical storm force (39-73 mph) on the islands, but in Savannah it'll be gusty without sustained winds. With the rains starting Thursday night, Watson expects urban flooding that Savannah usually sees during a heavy rainstorm — "They call it Waters Avenue for a reason." 

When the main winds from Hurricane Ian arrive Friday morning, Watson said there's a potential to get three or four feet above the normal high tide. 

He estimates Friday's high tide around 11 feet and, in context, he said Hurricane Matthew brought a high tide of 12 feet. While there will be flooding in marsh-front properties and low lying areas, he said this storm is not shaping up to be as bad as past storms like Matthew and Irma. 

As for Caine, in anticipation of Ian, she is still preparing for her yard to flood. Yet, there's some comfort in knowing the house won't be inundated now that it's been raised. She said she knows, and doesn't feel like, their house is invincible — they still have an old roof that needs work — but she said they feel "halfway secure." 

Marisa Mecke is an environmental journalist. She can be reached at mmecke@gannett.com or by phone at (912) 328-4411.