Littered with what under normal circumstances would be unfathomable in Flagler Beach, plastic bottles, lumber, and all sorts of debris have found their way ashore, settling in the dunes, or what’s left of them.
Flagler Beach Ocean Rescue director Tom Gillin closes off the beach access walkover points with yellow do not enter tape while talking to onlookers, out for a glimpse of what’s left.
“The walkovers are compromised and a lot of them have sharp drop offs at the bottom. We just want to make sure people are not going to try to go off the walkovers and get hurt,” said Gillin on Friday, shortly after noon.
“It’s too soon right now, especially since this is high tide, probably the last really severe high tide. Once the storm moves out and the next high tide won’t be as severe, we can kind of see what needs to be done and move on from there,” he says of cleaning up the debris.
The past few days were prepared for as a 2017 Hurricane Irma-type storm as it approached from the west and there has been significant flooding in the Flagler County neighborhoods along the Intracoastal Waterway as expected and in the western part of Flagler County.
However no one anticipated the impact Hurricane Ian would have on the Flagler Beach Municipal Pier as it ripped away a chunk of the historic landmark.
“You never know what to expect with the storms,” said Gillin. “We expected this to be similar to Irma, same conditions which caused more flooding than wind damage, more damage on the west side of the city, the Intracoastal side. That’s why we were surprised Ian decided it was going to damage the east side of the city.”
Less than 24 hours after the shock of watching a section of the pier carried away by the churning Atlantic Ocean, the sun is bright. With the exception of those homes and businesses without power, it almost looks like any other day in Flagler County.
Except now, teams are mobilizing for action to help their neighbors. From Flagler Volunteer Services to Flagler Strong and the faith-based community, residents who compare what happened to Flagler County versus Fort Myers are counting their blessings and stepping up to help.
Still in assessment mode, Flagler County and the local municipalities have spent the day documenting the damage and identifying the areas of greatest need while the private sector has worked to get the word out to those in need where to sign up for help.
Meeting today, Tracy Callahan said the Flagler Strong team was mobilized before the storm to prepare Flagler Beach residents and will now be working to help those who have been impacted.
“Flagler Strong is working in conjunction with the city to do assessments on homes and public spaces. We do want all the residents of Flagler Beach to know that tomorrow (Saturday) there will be regular trash pick-up citywide,” noting large debris pickup is excluded for now as the city registers with FEMA.
Callahan also shared the National Crisis Cleanup registration number to sign up for assistance with projects like tarping the roof, fallen trees, etc. Hotline: 800-451-1954.
“It’s going to put their address right on a map for us so we know where to find them,” said Callahan. “We’re just working on getting the city back to normalcy.”
Appreciative of the well-oiled machine Flagler Strong has grown into, Suzy Gamblain, director of Flagler Volunteer Services says they will be focusing in on the western part of the county and in Palm Coast, lending assistance to Flagler Strong as needed.
“We all work together and it makes a big difference for our community,” said Gamblain.
The faith-based community mobilized nearly 1,000 volunteers during the last call for help and Parkview Church’s Pastor Greg Peters said they put out an email to their database for people to sign up for help or to help, assembling teams in the upcoming week.
Supporting the government agencies with private sector resources is critical to success according to Flagler Beach Mayor Suzie Johnston.
“It’s a financial crisis but it’s also the residents having these organizations gives peace of mind,” she said. “Flagler Strong was there before the storm, helping become prepared for the storm which in times past we have not had an organization doing that, so it’s been, with this storm, it was wonderful.”
A huge proponent of beach cleanups Johnston urges volunteers to wait until the assessments are done and the beaches are safe before venturing out.
To hear more, tune into Lifeline Radio Show on Saturday, September 30, 2022 at 9:00 AM on WNZF NewsRadio 94.9 FM or listen to the podcast on the Flagler Radio app.
To Get Help: Register at the National Crisis Cleanup Hotline: 800-451-1954
To Help:
Flagler Volunteer Services: email suzy@flaglervolunteer.org
Message the Flagler Strong Facebook page or email: flaglerstrong386@gmail.com
Donate: Florida Disaster Fund: www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf
