Florida Rural Water Association
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Tallahassee FL 32309
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October is a Busy Hurricane Month
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While areas such as Texas and the Carolinas can start to relax a little this month, Florida is still vulnerable to hurricanes. In records dating back to 1851, 11 major hurricanes have made a Florida landfall in October.
Hurricanes love Florida in October.
Here's why.
A quieted tropics has only firecracker Lorenzo in the far off Atlantic spinning, but the hurricane season is not over and October could still throw a sucker punch at the Sunshine State.
Doozies such as 2005's Wilma, the 2016 swipe by Hurricane Matthew and the unprecedented knockout of 2018's Category 5 Hurricane Michael are all recent examples of what October can bring.
In records dating back to 1851, 11 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher have made a Florida landfall in October - bookending the state with Opal, which hit near Pensacola as a Cat 3 on Oct. 4, 1995, and King, which came in south of Miami as a Cat 4 on Oct. 18, 1950.
"What there was to wreck, it wrecked, " one story in the Miami Daily News said after King unroofed homes in Hialeah and tossed "swank" Lincoln Road merchandise into the wind. more
October no stranger to deadly hurricanes as season has only two months to go
Many meteorologists agree the peak of hurricane season is Sept. 10 but history shows that October is nothing to scoff at.
It's not time to guzzle your hurricane supplies just yet, as history has shown that seven of the most destructive storms to hit the United States began spiraling under October skies, leaving nearly $130 billion worth of damages between 1954 and 2018 in their wake, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
2018's Hurricane Michael is what many Floridian may associate with autumn hurricanes. Hurricane Michael quickly became a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph as it entered the warm waters bordering the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10.
It was the first Category 5 to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Andrew slammed into South Florida in 1992.
Mexico Beach was reminiscent of a bomb site where 1,584 buildings were reported damaged, and 809 were deemed destroyed.
Bay County suffered huge devastation with more than 45,000 structures damaged with more than 1,500 destroyed including severe damage to two hospitals, the NHC said.
Storm surge along the panhandle was recorded between 9 to 14 feet above the ground level with the highest elevation seen at Mexico Beach Pier where waters were above 15 feet. The powerfully high waves easily washed away coastal highways.
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EPA Announces Partnership to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure at Schools and Childcare Facilities
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further support efforts that reduce lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities. more
EPA Threatens California's Primacy for SDWA and CWA The Trump administration accused the state of California Thursday of "failing to meet its obligations" to protect the environment, claiming that a growing homeless population threatens the state's water quality.
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Manganese Raises Concern with Many State Agencies The EPA Office of Water is issuing this health advisory to provide guidance to communities that may be exposed to drinking water contaminated with high manganese (Mn) concentrations.
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EPA Water Official Says Water Operators are Heroes A leading U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator called water plant operators the "silent everyday unsung heroes" who are on the front lines for protecting public health.
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EPA administrator addresses agency goals with water U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler delivered the keynote presentation to kick off Opening Session at the 2019 WaterPro Conference in Nashville, Tennessee with more than 2,100 in attendance.
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EPA announces Water Workforce Initiative to help recruit, prepare water professionals The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Water Workforce Initiative to help cities and communities across the country that are facing critical staffing shortages for the operation and maintenance of essential drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
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ECUA Rate Increase Effective For Water, Sewer And Garbage | North Escambia Rate increases took effect Tuesday for Emerald Coast Utilities Authority water, sewer and sanitation customers. more
September in Tallahassee will go down as one of the driest months on record | Tallahassee Democrat There were no late night showers Monday, no meteorological miracle to keep September 2019 from going down in record books as the driest September ever and one of the most parched months period in Tallahassee. more
The unusual reason September could be driest on record for south Florida Dry weather delights, but September is on path to be the most parched on record in West Palm Beach and South Florida. The driest ever was in 1972. more
Septic tanks eyed in efforts to combat algae | WPTV The Florida Department of Environmental Protection should be teamed with health officials who permit septic tanks as the state tries to ensure cleaner waterways, members of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force agreed Wednesday. more
Is the rainy season over already? | News-Press September rains have been sparse, and there's little-to-no rainfall in the forecast for Southwest Florida as the rainy season winds down. more
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This Week in Water History
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First Hydo Electric Plant
 September 30, 1882- Paper manufacturer H.F. Rogers (Appleton, WI) opened the first hydroelectric power plant in U.S.at riverside paper mill on Fox River, in Appleton, WI (later known as Appleton Edison Light Company); powered by water wheel, provided 12.5 kilowatts, enough for 180 lights (ten candlepower each) to light Rogers' home, plant.
"On September 30, 1882, the first centrally located electric lighting system using the Edison system in the West and the first hydroelectric central station in the worldbegan operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Vulcan Street plant (the Appleton Gas Light Co.), later named the Appleton Edison Light Company, powered the two paper mills of H. J. Rogers' Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. and his residence, Hearthstone. Rogers, also president of the Appleton Gas Light Co. had been inspired by Thomas Edison's plans for a steam-based power station in New York. With financial backing from three Appleton men, one a personal friend of Edison's, Rogers began building this new venture during the summer of 1882, harvesting the power of the Fox River with a water wheel. The water wheel, generators, and copper wiring took only a few months to install and test. Initial testing of the plant on September 27 was unsuccessful but the Edison "K" type generator powered up successfully on September 30."
For more articles on what went on this week in water history, click here.
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