In what we hope is the finale to the season, on November 10th , 2022, Hurricane Nicole made landfall in Vero Beach, Florida. She came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane but as we saw with Ian, it was the surge that mattered. Homes along the coastline of Daytona Beach collapsed and fell into the ocean. An estimated 49 beachfront properties are now classified as ‘unsafe’ due to the beach erosion from the surge. So why did a Cat 1 storm cause so much damage? Blame the moon.
Daytona Beach and the area was already experiencing exceptionally higher tides due to the full moon. Add in a 6 foot surge and many homes on the Wilbur-by-the-Sea barrier island fell into the sea as the sand beneath their homes eroded away. Much of the damage occurred before the arrival of the hurricane. The Volusia Sheriff was there to take this video.
Neighbors helping neighbors! Today in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, we met Ms. Nina Lavigna, whose home collapsed. It didn't take long for neighbors to show up to help salvage what's left. Our team @SheriffChitwood, @SenTomWright & Rep. @Tramont_Chase met some incredible people today. pic.twitter.com/QkFG9iPtRC
— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) November 10, 2022
49 homes is nothing compared to what Southwest Florida saw with Hurricane Ian. Ian wiped out entire sections of our town. We all thought that after Ian we’d be done with hurricanes for the year. But Nicole showed us that hurricane season doesn’t end on November 1st like we all thought. Mother Nature decides.