'Like a death to me': First sun since Nicole reveals devastation left by storm
The Atlantic Ocean's fury dropped pools and decks from the back of structures as huge waves combined with wind and the high tide quickly caused problems for seawalls and roads from South Florida and north to Saint Augustine.
Chunks of hotel's property collapses into ocean following beach erosion from Nicole
FOX Weather's Robert Ray spoke to David Marsh, who runs the maintenance for Ocean Court Hotel in Daytona Beach Shores, about the damage sustained to the hotel.
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – The eastern coastline beach communities of the Florida Peninsula were relentlessly battered by Hurricane Nicole's storm surge. Waves became angry long before the storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Vero Beach.
The Atlantic Ocean's fury dropped pools and decks from the back of structures as huge waves, combined with wind and the high tide, quickly caused problems for seawalls and roads from South Florida and north to Saint Augustine.
SEVERAL DAMAGED HOMES DANGLE PRECARIOUSLY ALONG WASHED OUT FLORIDA BLUFF FROM NICOLE
Lisa Lavigna takes pictures of her mother Nina Lavigna's home after it partially toppled onto the beach as Hurricane Nicole came ashore on November 10, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said inspectors declared 24 hotels and condos unsafe and ordered evacuations due to structural concerns because of beach erosion. Additionally, at least 25 single-family homes in Wilbur-by-the-Sea were evacuated after being declared structurally unsound.
Drone video showed homes teetering on the edge of falling into the ocean on Daytona Beach Shores. By Thursday morning, Nicole's ferocious waves washed entire chunks of A1A Highway in Flagler County. On the famous Daytona Beach Boardwalk, the crashing waves and surge were too much for part of the infrastructure.
NICOLE'S DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WASHES AWAY HOMES, ROADS, BOARDWALKS ALONG FLORIDA COAST
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Image 1 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 2 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 3 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 4 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 5 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 6 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 7 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 8 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 9 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 10 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 11 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 12 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 13 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 14 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 15 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 16 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 17 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 18 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 19 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
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Image 20 of 20Nicole pounded the eastern coast of Florida with wind, rain and relentless waves. The storm made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning near Vero Beach. The influx of water flooded coastal areas and ate away at beaches in the Daytona Beach area. (Robert Ray)
Downed trees and power lines now mingle with washed-out roads and beach erosion in areas that Hurricane Ian had already damaged.
In late September, Ian caused extensive damage up and down Florida's Atlantic Coast. Nicole was the knockout punch for many areas.
It was a worst-case scenario, according to Daytona Beach Shores Police Chief Michael Fowler, but the community is resilient and will stay supportive in the weeks and months to come.
Beach erosion still major concern for Daytona Beach Shores, buildings deemed unsafe
Beach erosion will still be a major concern for Daytona Beach Shores while some buildings are deemed unsafe after Nicole. FOX Weather's Robert Ray reports.
"We are what you call ‘totaled’ in the backyard," said David Marsh, who runs the maintenance at the Ocean Court Hotel, which was evacuated along Daytona Beach Shores. "I'm in jeopardy of losing my pool, which was after Ian, I still had life of saving the pool. Now, Nicole has taken that life away from the pool. That pool has to be destroyed."
In the backyard of the Ocean Court Hotel, 15 feet of sand and dirt now lay where beautiful grass once grew. Nicole came in and took it all out in less than eight hours.
"I believe Nicole was more destructive than Ian," Marsh said.
Structural engineers will be on site Friday to see the hotel and other buildings along the beach will be safe for operation.
As for Marsh, he is now looking at the future to know that he will have a much better place when the hotel is rebuilt.
"This is kind of like a death to me," he said. "This was my pride and joy, this whole place. It took me a long time to understand that we will rebuild. That's Florida. We get smashed. We rebuild. That's just the way it is."