Volusia, Flagler tackle final preparations with mix of urgency, anxiety
As Hurricane Idalia churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward an expected Wednesday landfall as a major Category 3 hurricane on Florida’s Gulf Coast, officials with Volusia and Flagler counties on Tuesday were taking final precautions to protect beaches still recovering from the one-two punch of Ian and Nicole.
At the same time, city officials, residents and business owners also were making final preparations to weather the third approaching hurricane in a year, an unwelcome parade that has triggered cases of storm anxiety.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say my anxiety level is probably about a 6,” said Sandy Murphy, 65, a Daytona Beach resident who lives with her husband a block west of Atlantic Avenue, across the street from the former site of the now-demolished Treasure Island Resort.
“It wouldn’t feel as bad if we were completely recovered from the last one,” said Murphy, whose roof is being held in place with brick pavers as she and her husband deal with their insurance company. “We’re still trying to recover from Ian and Nicole and that makes the anxiety about this one a little higher.”
On Volusia, Flagler beaches, erosion is a key concern
On the beaches of both Volusia and Flagler, recovery from the damage inflicted by two tropical storms this past fall also is still a work in progress.
For that reason, the risk of beach erosion is a major concern as Idalia prepares to cut across the state.
In addition to the potential for battering winds from Idalia, that concern is heightened by additional factors that include the influence on tides being exerted by Hurricane Franklin far out in the Atlantic Ocean and the presence of a full moon on Wednesday, said Megan Tollefsen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
“There are multiple factors pulling together to increase the coastal hazard in Volusia County,” she said. “Hurricane Franklin is sending a pretty large swell toward the coastal area. On top of that, you have elevated high tide levels due to full moon on Aug. 30. Those two factors alone will increase the rip current threat and beach erosion threat on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Then, with Idalia approaching the area, you have those winds coming in from south as it comes across (the peninsula). That will add even more fuel to the fire, for lack of a better term, as far as the erosion threat goes for Volusia County. I cannot recall three things like this coming together to produce these types of unfavorable marine conditions.”
Idalia Live Updates:Volusia, Flagler schools will be closed Wednesday.
Volusia County officials were working on Tuesday to ensure that contractors at work on sea walls and other repair projects on the beach had secured loose items and moved heavy equipment to higher ground, said Jessica Fentress, the county’s Coastal Division director.
Beachfront residents who were impacted by significant coastal erosion during Hurricane Ian or Nicole, and have not completed necessary protective measures, were encouraged to seek safe shelter as part of a voluntary evacuation recommendation effective at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The recommendation also suggested that those in RVs, mobile homes, or low-lying areas may wish to find accommodations with friends or family members or public shelters as a site of last resort.
Get real-time updates:Live updates: Hurricane Idalia storm surges up to 15 feet now forecast for part of Florida Big Bend
“We are concerned for the properties in middle of repair process,” Fentress said. “If you’ve started construction on a seawall, you may have only half of it completed and you are very vulnerable as a property owner.
“County officials are communicating with those contractors on the beach to clean up job sites of anything that might blow away, get the equipment to as high ground as possible,” she said. “They have until the end of the day today to finish temporary erosion control measures and then they will be able re-evaluate conditions on Thursday after the storm passes.”
Fentress expected Idalia’s impact on beach erosion to be comparable to the impact of King Tide Nor’easter storms that arrived this past spring.
“We’ve made a significant amount of natural progress of sand coming on our shoreline, which is evident from the soft berm area in beach driving traffic lane this past month or so,” she said. “We are hopeful with the south wind and south swell that this storm will not be as damaging.”
Beaches must pass inspections before reopening
Beach driving was still allowed on parts of the beach on Tuesday, but that won’t be the case again until after the storm passes and necessary inspections can be completed, Fentress said.
“We cannot open for beach driving until we have conservation zone poles in (the sand), and turtle nests inspected,” she said.
Pedestrians will be able to access the beach during the height of the storm on Wednesday, but Fentress strongly advised against it.
The county planned to keep its two inlet parks — Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach and Lighthouse Point Park in Ponce Inlet — open regular hours on Thursday. For additional updates on the reopening of other beach areas, Fentress said it’s best to check the Volusia Beaches smart phone app.
“Any openings and closings will be reflected on the Volusia Beaches app,” she said. “The app offers real-time updates on pedestrian access, beach access and when we start staffing lifeguard towers on Thursday.
“We will work as hard as possible to have the beaches back open for this Labor Day weekend. We understand how important our beach access is to our residents and our community.”
Beachfront hotel also prepares for Idalia
The Labor Day holiday is a key tourism weekend at the Tropical Manor On the Ocean, the family-owned 41-room hotel that has been a beachside fixture for nearly 70 years in Daytona Beach Shores.
There, guests in nine rooms will be riding out the storm, said Aileen Band, who runs the hotel with her mother, Audrey Dando.
Like some other properties, the Tropical Manor is still rebounding from Ian, the storm that ripped roofs from nearly half of the hotel’s 11 buildings and left severe damage in at least a dozen of its 41 rooms.
In case you missed it:After Ian: With roofs gone, water-damaged rooms, long road back for some Daytona beachside hotels
“We have only five remaining rooms that we are continuing to restore and we’ve also restored most of public areas,” Band said. “Unfortunately, we have only completed 60% of repairs to the seawall.
“That’s my main concern is that we haven’t completed that. The reason is that we haven’t received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There will be a full moon on Wednesday, with higher tides. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say my anxiety level is about 5-1/2.”
Idalia could deal another blow to Wilbur-by-the-Sea
In hard-hit Wilbur-by-the-Sea, homeowner Toni Cherry was preparing to face another storm after her beachfront home was among several heavily damaged by Ian’s storm surge last year.
The Pennsylvania resident’s vacation home in Volusia was hanging by a thread after Ian destroyed the seawall. When Nicole hit three months later, the house’s backyard and part of its structure came down, leaving just the garage and a few rooms standing.
On Tuesday, Cherry said that she is in town staying at a friend’s house “so that we could come down here and survey the damage and prepare for all the repairs we need to make.”
“At this point we have got the sandbags up, and now we have to worry about getting our permits to do the repairs,” Cherry said.
Her son was living at the home last year but left before Ian hit the coast, something Cherry said she is “thankful” for.
She said the devastation and loss of life from the fires in Maui, Hawaii, helped put her own situation in perspective, making it clear to her that “money damage is pretty minor thing — I’m sorry.”
“Yes, it is devastating. Financially, it is going to harm us,” Cherry said. “I’m not going to worry about something I cannot control. That is the price you pay when you have a home by the ocean.”
And now she awaits Idalia.
“We’ll see what this hurricane does to us. I’m hoping nothing more is destroyed.”
New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange also face erosion, flooding concerns
In New Smyrna Beach, officials are making final preparations and warning residents of the possible effects of beach erosion and flooding.
“Along the beach we’re expecting less than 1 feet of storm surge with moderate erosion, heavy surf, and strong rip currents,” said city spokesman Philip Veski in an email to The News-Journal.
Residents in “vulnerable inland areas” of the city should prepare for “4-5 inches of rain and localized flooding.”
“Residents impacted by flooding during Hurricane Ian, particularly those in low-lying areas near Turnbull Canal such as Pine Island and Aqua Golf, and significant coastal erosion during Hurricane Nicole are encouraged to seek safe shelter in accordance with Volusia County Government’s voluntary evacuation recommendation that goes into effect at 10 a.m. (Tuesday) morning.”
In the aftermath of the storm, residents can expect “rapid mobilization of emergency services, cleanup and debris removal crews, and damage assessment teams immediately after the storm,” Veski wrote.
The city will also “evaluate bringing back the expedited inspection and permitting services implemented in the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes as demand dictates.”
In Port Orange, preparations for Idalia began last week and the city has declared a local state of emergency, said city spokesman Michael Springer.
“Staff lowered pond levels where available, inspected and tested generators and pumps, talked with contractors to secure private construction sites, and cleaned and inspected storm drains,” Springer said. “We’ve been proactive in offering sandbag distribution for our residents since Monday. This service will remain accessible until Tuesday night, pending weather conditions.”
In Flagler, officials urge residents to make final preparations
In Palm Coast, city parks, trails, and facilities will remain closed on Wednesday, according to the city.
Parks and trails will remain closed until later in the week after the city has completed safety checks.
Garbage collection is canceled for Wednesday due to expected high winds. Garbage collection will resume on Thursday.
For more garbage collection information, people can go to PalmCoast.gov/customer-service/garbage.
Also, Flagler County Emergency Management opened its Call Center on Tuesday.
“A team of staff began manning the phone lines at 8 a.m. and they will answer calls 24/7 for the duration of Hurricane Idalia’s impact on Flagler County,” Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said in a prepared statement.
The Call Center number is 386-313-4200, which is the regular line to the Emergency Operations Center.
News-Journal reporters Brenno Carillo and Frank Fernandez contributed to this story.
