MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. – Waves crashed against the sand dunes at Ponce de Leon Landing in Melbourne Beach Wednesday night as Hurricane Nicole closed in on the Florida coast.
Nicole was expected to make landfall in South Florida, but the storm’s windfield is huge, pushing waves up and down the coast.
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Brevard County’s beaches sustained around $8.5 million in coastal erosion damage because of Hurricane Ian in September, according to the Brevard County government. That storm came across from the west coast.
Now the beaches are taking a frontal assault from another storm. Coastal flooding and storm surge are also a concern.
While some of the sand will come back naturally, the county says that process doesn’t happen fast enough, and more beach renourishment will be needed.
The beach dunes are important to the infrastructure on the barrier islands.
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