Shades of Andrew. May God watch over them.
Worse, actually. Surge not a huge factor in Andrew. More like the Galveston cane (with the exception of the evacuations, thankfully.
17 feet of water is worse than the winds. You have a good chance of surviving the winds (as thousands did in Andrew) even if your house collapses. You don't survive surge like that. The entirety of both towns will be completely under water.