Florida beachfront homes covered in sand following Hurricane Nicole

Homes along the northeastern Florida coast were left buried under several feet of sand following the impact of Hurricane Nicole. 

The Flagler County Emergency Management Office shared photos on Friday showing the extent of the damage there, which they estimated to amount to $23.7 million.

Of that total, $13.3 million was recorded in Flagler Beach and $1.2 million in Beverly Beach.

Three photos shared of a home on Rollins Drive in “The Hammock” neighborhood, showed sand nearing the top of a mailbox. 

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While no homes in Flagler County were destroyed, nearly 300 homes were affected. 

Another 125 sustained minor damage and 20 had major damage. 

Nearly 2020 homes were flooded, officials said, noting that numbers were subject to change.

There were 166,800 cubic yards of structural countywide debris.

FOX 35 reported that Flagler Beach’s main transportation artery, State Road A1A, had sustained significant damage from the storm. The state’s Department of Transportation said it had made several emergency repairs and was able to reopen the road in St. Johns County within 24 hours of landfall.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis joined local and state officials there and in Volusia County to survey the devastation due to the flooding and beach erosion. 

“We will help our coastal communities fully recover from the impacts of Hurricane Nicole,” DeSantis said in a statement. “This $20 million will address immediate, emergency needs across several storm-impacted beaches while we work to identify additional funding to replace infrastructure and help the area rebuild.”

The governor has directed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to utilize $20 million of existing funding for emergency sand placement to help local governments address the significant dune and beach erosion caused by Hurricanes Nicole and Ian. 

Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane earlier Thursday morning near Vero Beach.

The governor’s office said it exacerbated impacts that Hurricane Ian had on the same areas. 

Several buildings have been deemed unsafe and homes were reported to have partially collapsed in Volusia County.