Nicole made landfall on Florida’s Atlantic coast early Thursday, causing deaths, power outages, collapsed homes and eroding beaches.
The hurricane made landfall south of Vero Beach around 3 a.m. on the peninsula’s east coast on North Hutchinson Island with sustained winds of around 75 mph/120 kmph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Two people have been reported electrocuted by a power line in Orange County so far. Several coastal homes in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, a beachfront community, collapsed. Other properties are “at imminent risk” of collapse, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
In Martin County, the hurricane churned up sand and unearthed what appeared to be bones on Chastain Beach on South Hutchinson Island, the sheriff’s office said. The site is believed to be a Native American burial ground.
In Port Orange the Rose Bay Dam broke; emergency repairs are underway. There were reports that in Port Orange the boardwalk was “compromised”. Residents were urged to evacuate.
There were also widespread power outages since Thursday morning, with more than 303,000 customers reported without power in the state by 1:30 p.m.
Phenomena like Nicole are rare in the area where I am entering, since only two hurricanes have made landfall in that region since records were kept: Hurricane Yankee in 1935 and Hurricane Kate in 1985.
Its legacy will be devastating beach erosion, especially along the state’s northeast coast.
Coastal flooding will continue to affect areas of the northern Florida coast overnight, especially at high tide.
Rain totals in the area are expected to reach 3 to 5 inches with isolated areas receiving up to 8 inches, forecasters said.
Nicole began to weaken today Thursday afternoon.
