A powerful Fall nor’easter that has lashed the U.S. eastern seaboard for several days has taken a toll on Northeast Florida shorelines.

Aggravating the situation is a rare so-called King high tide, an excessive high tide due to a full moon that creates a rush of water on beaches.

Several coastal communities are reporting excessive erosion and damage to public facilities. The city of Fernandina Beach Facebook page[1] noted that there was heavy erosion on the shoreline.

“Strong rip currents have created cliffs along portions of the beach. Please use caution as these areas (some 4 to 5 feet) can be unstable. The city will cut down these escarpment lines once conditions allow,” the Fernandina Beach advisory said. A photo showed a sharp drop-off along the beachfront.

In St. Augustine, city police finally opened the famed Bridge of Lions Tuesday. The span was closed through the weekend and into Monday because high tides swamped the roadways from Matanzas Bay and washed out any passable motorway from the city onto Anastasia Island. The downtown tourist district also sustained flooding, as News4Jax reported[2].

Stretching further south, Volusia County officials are reporting substantial damage from high tides, big waves and persistent winds. The county’s website acknowledged dangerous conditions[3] such as rip currents persist at the shoreline. But the evidence of physical damage is visible and there is “a significant amount of debris left behind by recent tidal activity,” per the county

The Ponce Inlet area also took a pounding.

“The Jetty Connector in Ponce Inlet also sustained significant damage earlier (Monday) morning following recent severe tidal activity. The structure has been closed to the public since Hurricane Imelda (which passed by that coastline Sept. 30), when it first experienced tide-related impacts. Once conditions improve, county crews will begin debris removal,” Volusia County officials said.

Still, Florida hasn’t endured the level of damage seen in areas to the north. Heavy rain fell from the Carolinas all the way north into New England, according to Associated Press accounts[4].

“The greatest effects are going to be the coastal flooding potential,” said meteorologist Bob Oravec with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

In Delaware, emergency management officials activated the state National Guard in response to rising floodwaters and harsh winds. A voluntary evacuation order was issued for the town of Bowers Beach, where the Murderkill River flows into Delaware Bay.

In North Carolina’s Outer Banks, an area that has seen significant storm damage[5] this season, ocean overwash spread across Highway 12 at a motel near Buxton, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office posted online Sunday. The office urged travelers to be cautious and put property owners on alert as high tide approached.

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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.

References

  1. ^ Facebook page (www.facebook.com)
  2. ^ reported (www.news4jax.com)
  3. ^ dangerous conditions (www.volusia.org)
  4. ^ accounts (apnews.com)
  5. ^ significant storm damage (apnews.com)

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