Friday live updates on Nicole: Gov. Ron DeSantis surveys damage in Volusia County
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Nicole was downgraded to a tropical depression Thursday night as it continued to move north into Georgia.
The storm, which made landfall at 3 a.m., south of Vero Beach Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane with 75-mph winds, left behind a trail of destruction in Florida.
'Hit with a bomb': Nicole's fury washes away homes in Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Open, closed or damaged?: Waterfront restaurants in Daytona Beach area after Hurricane Nicole
Nicole's aftermath: Tropical Storm Nicole damage seen Thursday in Daytona Beach, Volusia and Flagler counties
Thousands were left without power and several buildings fell into the ocean.
Renewed river flooding on the St. Johns River is continuing this morning.
— Cheryl McCloud
5:25 p.m. | Local and state officials plan repairs in Volusia
In addition to DeSantis, dozens of residents, law enforcement, public safety officials and a smattering of curious onlookers roamed local beaches to assess the damage left in the wake of the storm on Friday afternoon.
DeSantis and high ranking officials such as Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie visited neighboring homes and spoke to residents who lived in the neighborhood as they assessed damage left by the storm.
Florida Sen. Tom Wright also shared in a Facebook post that he was part of the meeting, along with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald, other Florida congressional representatives and other local staff.
He said the focus was on all of the issues that Tropical Storm Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole have caused along the coastline.
Together with federal, state and local leaders, "we will have a plan shortly to re-nourish, repair and replace the beaches that are missing," he wrote.
Read more: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tours Wilbur-by-the-Sea homes destroyed by Tropical Storm Nicole
5:07 p.m. | DeSantis surveys damage in Volusia
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Volusia County today to meet with local officials and tour damage wrought by Tropical Storm Nicole, according to a number of witnesses. The governor did not alert the media or give any prepared speech. More details to come.
— John Dunbar
3:55 p.m. | Flagler County estimates $23.7 million in damages from Nicole
Flagler County, in coordination with the property appraiser’s office, provided the state of Florida initial damage assessment reports for $23.7 million as a result of Tropical Storm Nicole, according to a release sent Friday.
“There are six field teams with boots on the ground – a property appraiser paired with a building official – with tablets taking pictures and inputting data,” said Property Appraiser Jay Gardner. “We do this assessment as quickly as possible to help our residents get as much FEMA assistance as possible.”
Of the total, Flagler Beach recorded $13.3 million in damages, while Beverly Beach recorded $1.2 million and unincorporated Flagler County estimated $9.2 million.
“We assessed the barrier island this morning, because that’s where Flagler County saw the majority of the damages,” Gardner said. “We can update numbers later, but we try to get the bulk of the information collected today.”
FEMA may follow up in the next few days to perform its own assessment to ensure there is agreement with the county’s initial damage numbers.
Flagler County did not report any destroyed homes; however, 299 homes were affected by the storm. While these numbers will likely change, 125 sustained minor damage and 20 had major damage. Some 218 homes were flooded.
Structural countywide debris is estimated at 166,800 cubic yards, according to the release. Countywide vegetative debris is estimated at 49,900 cubic yards.
— Ashley Varese
3:49 p.m. | American Red Cross offers assistance in Volusia
The American Red Cross is in Volusia County offering food, shelter, disaster assessment and other services to affected residents, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS for assistance.
3:36 p.m. | Weather warnings still in effect for Volusia, Flagler
The following National Weather Service warnings are still in effect:
High rip current risk for coastal Volusia County through 4 a.m. Saturday.
Flood warning for the St. Johns River near Astor and DeLand until further notice.
High rip current risk for coastal Flagler and St. Johns counties through 7 p.m. Friday.
Coastal flood warning for inland Flagler and St. Johns counties within the St. Johns River Basin until 4 p.m. on Saturday.
2:59 p.m. | Rose Bay resident describes rising water in Port Orange
While residents around the Ridgewood Avenue area watched the water rise on their streets, the Cambridge Canal neighborhood was also on edge Thursday morning after learning that the Rose Bay seawall and bank were compromised, which threatened to flood hundreds of homes north and south of Wiltshire Boulevard.
Lisa Davids, a Trailwood Drive resident, said she and her family heard about the threat when police officers knocked on her door at around 7:30 a.m. alerting her to the danger.
“We weren’t expecting anything big, given the expectation of rain was only 5 inches,” Davids said. “And then we get the knock and I go, “'Well, the lake looks high,’ but it hadn’t crested over yet. But within an hour, (the water) was already within a foot of our house.”
She said that the water didn’t get past that point, and that the home didn’t sustain any damage from flooding.
“How fast (the water) came in was scary — it got real high,” Davids said. “We were concerned, so we didn’t know how much further the water was going to come up with the tide and storm surge, but we did OK.”
Davids said she and her family got “dressed and ready” to evacuate after the warning from police, but decided to keep an eye on the water and ultimately stayed.
The water in the neighborhood did start to recede as the afternoon came, according to Port Orange Mayor Don Burnette.
Burnette told The News-Journal on Friday that there hasn’t been “any additional flooding during the high tide cycles Thursday night and Friday morning.”
“The swelled water level in Rose Bay has reduced slightly and thus the tides haven’t been working against us, giving us the time we need,” he said.
A temporary fix to the problem is underway, with supplies expected over the weekend to finalize the process early next week. The city will then start working on a permanent repair.
— Brenno Carillo
2:57 p.m. | New Smyrna Beach urges residents to stay away from coastline
Much like Tropical Storm Ian, Tropical Storm Nicole’s rain caused several streets in New Smyrna Beach to flood, as well as damage beachside properties due to beach erosion.
City damage assessment teams are surveying public infrastructure and homes damaged during the storm, and maintenance operations recovery teams are clearing debris from public streets, sidewalks, storm drains and parks, a city update said.
“Even though mandatory evacuation and curfews have been lifted, residents and visitors should stay away from the coastline,” officials said. “The waves and currents are still hazardous and will pose a significant threat to anyone in or near the water.”
The 27th Avenue Beachfront Park is “closed to pedestrians and vehicles due to significant damage sustained to its ramp, stairs and pavers.”
Residents from the Las Brisas and Sea Coast Gardens II condominiums were evacuated yesterday after the city’s building department deemed the structures “unsafe” due to beach erosion.
City spokesman Phil Veski said there is no timeframe yet for when these residents will be able to go back.
As of 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning, 330 were without power in the city.
— Brenno Carillo
2:37 p.m. | Unclear whether evacuees will be able to return to condos at all
As of Friday afternoon, it was still not known when residents of the evacuated oceanfront condominium buildings in Daytona Beach Shores will be allowed to return.
It's possible that some might never be allowed to resume living in them, according to officials with South Daytona engineering consulting firm Ellis & Associates Inc.
Officials said it was a case by case situation, but if half the house is already in the water, for example, there is nothing that can be done.
Geotechnical engineer Max Kemnitz, who has worked on a number of oceanfront condo high-rises in the Daytona Beach area over the years, said the first thing that needs to be done to salvage the condo buildings and hotels that have been deemed unsafe is to stop any erosion.
Kemnitz said adding additional concrete piles, reinforcing the existing foundation and building a temporary seawall as quickly as possible also could help.
"Each situation is different. It's going to depend on the amount of erosion, how much the building might have moved and the type of foundation system," he said. "Some foundations are shallow and more easily affected by erosion. Some foundations, however, are much deeper and more able to withstand it. Most often, condo high-rises have deeper foundations. But it depends on the ground, too."
— Clayton Park
1:19 p.m. | Businesses can report damage
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has activated the Business Damage Assessment Survey to gauge the impacts of Tropical Storm Nicole on local businesses and assist recovery efforts.
Impacted businesses can complete the survey online at FloridaDisaster.biz.
1:06 p.m. | Beach residents allowed to assess property damage
Volusia County has temporarily waived the requirement for a Beaches and Dunes Permit for owners of coastal property damaged by Tropical Storm Nicole or threatened by erosion.
Such residents will be allowed to access the beach through approved vehicle ramps "for the purpose of surveying, damage assessment, debris removal, and clean-up."
The permit is also waived for agents, contractors and engineers of the property owner.
The directive will expire at 4:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15 unless extended. Visit volusia.org for more information.
12:46 p.m. | Similarities to 2004 hurricanes 'strictly just coincidental'
Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall in Florida on Thursday morning exactly 43 days from when the Sunshine State was struck by Hurricane Ian.
That's nearly the same number of days that separated Hurricane Charley from Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. Those two hurricanes occurred just 44 days apart.
The eerie similarities don't stop there. Both Charley and Ian followed roughly the same track, making landfall in southwest Florida and then crossing the peninsula to exit over central Florida's east coast.
Jeanne and Nicole both made landfall on the east coast and then headed west across the peninsula.
"The similarities are strictly just coincidental," said Mark Friedlander, a Florida-based spokesman for the national Insurance Information Institute. "There's really no comparison between Ian and Nicole and Charley and Jeanne."
Charley was a category 4 hurricane while Jeanne was a category 3 hurricane. Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane, but was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm. Nicole made landfall as a category 1 hurricane, but also was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm.
"Ian was a much more destructive storm than either Charley or Jeanne," said Friedlander who estimated that private-insured losses in Florida from Ian will likely hit $60 billion. That would make it the second-largest insured-loss catastrophe in U.S. history behind only Hurricane Katrina, which totaled $90 billion in insured losses in today's dollars.
And the book on Ian is still not closed as insurance claims continue to come in, he said.
Hurricane Charley, by contrast, resulted in only $7.4 billion in insured losses in 2004 dollars, while Jeanne resulted in $8 billion in insured losses.
In 2022 dollars, insured losses for Charley would have totaled $11.67 billion, while Jeanne would have totaled $12.62 billion.
Friedlander said it is too soon to estimate how much in insured losses Nicole will end up generating.
What is for certain, he said, was that severe storms today are resulting in significantly higher insured losses because of increased replacement costs as well as the fact that more people than ever live in harm's way in Florida.
Florida had 17.4 million residents in 2004 and more than 22 million residents today.
"We are seeing a continued pattern of growth in coastal communities throughout the country and Florida is leading the way in that trend," said Friedlander who lives in north St. Johns County.
— Clayton Park
12:14 p.m. | Condo damage assessments underway
The wait continues for residents of the condominium buildings ordered to be evacuated in Daytona Beach Shores during Tropical Storm Nicole.
City spokeswoman Nancy Maddox, in a phone interview shortly before noon on Friday, said it was still uncertain when the 24 condominium buildings and hotels in Daytona Beach Shores would be deemed safe to allow residents and guests to return.
"All of the condos have hired structural engineers to do assessments and give their reports to our chief building official," said Maddox, public affairs director for Daytona Beach Shores. She added that the assessment work, many by United Engineering, began on Thursday.
When asked if any of those assessments might be completed on Friday, Maddox said, "I'm not an engineer so I can't say."
The oceanfront buildings that were ordered to be evacuated included some that were deemed unsafe by the city on Thursday, hours after Tropical Storm Nicole had passed through the area.
— Clayton Park
11:11 a.m. | Modified Votran operations resume
Votran has resumed normal operations with the exception of routes 1, 8 and 17. All beachside service is suspended until further notice, according to the county.
Fares remain suspended on Friday but will resume on Saturday, Nov. 12. Riders may expect detours due to road conditions. Visit votran.org for more information.
11:08 a.m. | Shelters closed
All four shelters in Volusia County are now closed. Officials are working with displaced residents to make other temporary housing arrangements.
The shelter at Rymfire Elementary School in Flagler County has also closed.
10:35 a.m. | Residents may not return to unsafe buildings
Daytona Beach Shores residents and building occupants may not return to any building that the chief building official has deemed unsafe, according to the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety.
Until a structural engineer retained by the condominium association or owner has determined the building is safe, no one will be permitted to enter.
After this determination is made, the city will remove the status of the unsafe building, and residents may return.
10:04 a.m. | Ormond Beach Veterans Day tribute canceled
Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens stated on its website that a Veterans Day tribute set for 11 a.m. today has been canceled due to Tropical Storm Nicole.
— Frank Fernandez
9:43 a.m. | Coastal flood warning in Flagler County
A coastal flood warning is still in effect in Flagler County until 7 p.m. on Friday. Officials urge people to avoid floodwaters and the barrier island.
"Please do not head to the beach to take photos and look around. Trust us when we say, it is NOT safe. We will provide footage for you to view," Flagler County Emergency Management posted on Facebook.
9:33 a.m. | Volusia County Fair to reopen
The Volusia County Fair and Youth Show will reopen at 4 p.m. on Friday and will continue through Sunday. Visit volusiacountyfair.com for more information.
Rides, animals, food and fun: Volusia County Fair scheduled through Sunday
9:30 a.m. | Daytona Beach International Airport has reopened
As of 6 a.m., the airfield at the Daytona Beach International Airport has reopened for normal operations. The airport did not sustain significant damage. Travelers should check with their airline for updates to flight schedules.
9:24 a.m. | All bridges to beachside are open
All bridges to the beachside have reopened, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Areas of Atlantic Avenue in Wilbur-by-the-Sea and Daytona Beach Shores are still blocked to the general public due to "ongoing heavy damage assessment and recovery." Residents can access with proof of residency.
The office encouraged people to limit trips to essential travel only.
8:45 a.m. | Officials urge residents to stay off the beaches
Volusia County issued a press release urging people to stay away from the beach because of debris and the damage to homes, condos, hotels, beach walkways and piers.
“If you go anywhere near the beach, you are putting your life in jeopardy,” Beach Safety Deputy Director Tammy Malphurs said in the release. “The current state of the ocean is unforgiving. You might not make it out if you step foot into the water. We are flying double red flags because there are massive amounts of debris in the water and on the beach, 10- to 12-foot breaking waves, and strong rip currents.”
She added that the water isn’t the only danger present along the coast.
“We have not yet had the opportunity to assess coastal structures such as piers and walkways. Even during low tide, these structures may collapse without notice. At this time the beach is the most dangerous place to be in our county. We will work as hard as we possibly can to make it safe and accessible once again, but it’s going to take time.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tropical Storm Nicole updates: Ron DeSantis assesses damage in Volusia
