/tags/floridas-barrier-islands Florida’s barrier islands en-US WLRN Fri, 31 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT /environment/2023-03-31/living-on-the-edge-shifting-sands Florida’s barrier islands have always been worth the risk to the hundreds of thousands of people living on them. After Hurricane Ian, will Southwest Florida’s islands ever be the same? Fri, 31 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT /environment/2023-03-31/living-on-the-edge-shifting-sands Abigail Hasebroock | WUFT /environment/2023-03-31/living-on-the-edge-paradise-in-peril A new data analysis shows that population is surging on Florida’s barrier islands despite rising seas and worsening storms. Florida politics and policies continue to champion the growth. Fri, 31 Mar 2023 19:00:00 GMT /environment/2023-03-31/living-on-the-edge-paradise-in-peril /environment/2023-03-30/living-on-the-edge-the-psychology-of-risk Why do people defy evacuation orders? The answers involve the psychology of risk. Hurricane Ian’s destruction may help change Floridians’ propensity to ride out hurricanes. Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:06:04 GMT /environment/2023-03-30/living-on-the-edge-the-psychology-of-risk Ana Clara Mattiuzzi Martins | WUFT /environment/2023-03-30/living-on-the-edge-leaving-atsena-otie An entire town of Floridians abandoned their barrier island in the wake of a major hurricane in the nineteenth century. Historians urge us to remember their decision — but memory is a fickle thing. Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:00:00 GMT /environment/2023-03-30/living-on-the-edge-leaving-atsena-otie Stephanie Castellano | WUFT /environment/2023-03-29/living-on-the-edge-everything-old-is-new-again Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida in the same place where Florida’s powerful Calusa natives lived over 2,000 years ago. From dealing with sea level fluctuations to a massive hurricane around A.D. 300, their fishing and building adaptations can teach us about dealing with coastal change. Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:00:00 GMT /environment/2023-03-29/living-on-the-edge-everything-old-is-new-again Emma Barrett /environment/2023-03-28/living-on-the-edge-losing-history Climate change threatens not only the future of Florida’s barrier islands, but all they hold about the past. Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:20:49 GMT /environment/2023-03-28/living-on-the-edge-losing-history Gabrielle Thaw