‘Fared as well as can be expected’: Beach erosion expert analyzes Florida’s east coast after Nicole
By Angela Rozier
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JUNO BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Nearly one week after Hurricane Nicole made landfall along Florida’s east coast beach erosion officials in Palm Beach County and on the Treasure Coast continue to assess the damage.
Beach assessment teams are doing windshield surveys, said Andy Studt, who is with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management.
“Before and after a storm, it’s important to measure what the beach looks like,” Studt said. “That way, if we can quantify the losses, we may be eligible for federal or state funding to recover from these significant unexpected damages.”
Previous Coverage Ahead Of The Storm: Palm Beach County environmental officials survey for beach erosion ahead of Nicole
Studt said beach and dune restoration projects that were completed this year and in previous years did their job in protecting the dune system and critical infrastructure.
He said overall, beaches in the county fared as well as can be expected with a storm event like this one, and efforts to create resilient beaches have paid off in minimizing and mitigating storm-generated impacts to our beach and dune system.
“We have windblown sand that’s been caught by these sea oaks that we planted in our past project,” Studt said.
Officials anticipate that some of the sand that is currently “in the system” will be re-deposited on the beaches over the next few weeks.
Beach erosion could be spotted along beaches on the Treasure Coast.
Officials in Indian River County said the Tracking Station was the most impacted with three damaged boardwalks and Golden Sands also has boardwalk damage.
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