VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Due to debris and hazardous rip currents, Volusia County issued double red flag warnings along the coast, telling people to stay out of the water.
“It has been pretty crazy,” said Vanessa Selliken.
Selliken and her mother, Kayden, checked the beach on Saturday. They, like most, couldn’t believe the conditions or the damage done to the Dock at Ponce Inlet. The surf washed it away.
“The town shut the road down to where you can’t access the marina or the restaurants because the water just came up so high,” said Kayden. “You can’t drive through there. The vehicles would be disabled, so they stopped us.”
In addition to the damage to the dock, viewers sent Ch 9 video of rough surf at Dunlawton and A1A and the damage done there. Locals are shocked. They say they see damage like this or worse during major hurricanes, but that’s not the case now.
“It’s insane,” Vanessa said. “We’re flooding like this without an actual storm. ”
“We just like to look at the waves,” said Christopher Cooper. “There are a lot fewer people on the beach, big waves, and a lot more opportunity to see what’s going on.
Tons of seaweed have washed up on the beach. Officials are warning beachgoers not to remove it. Seaweed helps the beaches and dunes recover naturally because it captures the sand.
Some, like the Selliken girls, said they learned the big lesson from the weather this year: " Always prepare.”
“We weren’t expecting it to get as disastrous as it has, ” they said. “So it’s really important to prepare for this even when you don’t think you have to.”
Hightide will return at midnight. It can lead to more damage and unsafe conditions on central Florida’s beaches.
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