DAYTONA, Fla. — Hurricane Ian slammed Florida in September. Nearly two months later, Hurricane Nicole devastated coastal communities in Volusia and Flagler counties.
Officials in Volusia said there is no quick and simple short-term solution to fix the problem of beach erosion. The damages to county-managed beach property and access points alone are estimated at more than $30 million.
"I hope people really do take this as a wake-up call to really start thinking about living at the beach versus the beach being a place to go and enjoy," said Cheryl Hapke, research professor at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science.
Hapke continued, "Right now, they are still in response mode. I mean, there are derelict boats everywhere. There are roads out. There is power out still in some areas, so someone like me to work with communities to kind of discuss ways they can build back better, more safely, more resiliency is what it's all about; how can they become as a community more resilient to storms."
Volusia County officials and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have scheduled an extended office hours open house to address emergency permitting for temporary and permanent repairs on coastal structures due to Hurricane Nicole and Ian.
The open house will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 1 at the Daytona Beach Shores Community Center (3000 Bellemead Drive).
More information about the open house can be found here.
