Cleanup underway after first Florida hurricane in 11 years

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The cleanup is underway after the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in nearly 11 years barreled into the panhandle.

Hermine made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Friday around 1:30 a.m. just east of St. Marks in northwest Florida. The system has since weakened to a tropical storm as it moves over land near Charleston, South Carolina. Winds were down to 50 mph as of the 5 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. It was moving northeast at 20 mph.

Unlike with Wilma Southwest Florida largely dodged a bullet with minimal impacts from the storm. Water levels rose 1 to 3 feet above average, and wind gusts of up to 43 mph in Naples, 37 mph in Fort Myers and 35 mph in Punta Gorda were recorded. Several inches of rain prompted localized flooding, especially in areas closer to the coast.

Elsewhere, the effects were much more severe. At least one fatality happened as a result of the storm, as a homeless man died in Marion County when a tree fell on him, Gov. Rick Scott said.

Storm surge of 5 to 8 crashed on shore in north Florida. A 78 mph wind gust was recorded as far south as Indian Shores in the Tampa Bay area, where the storm closed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge shortly after noon Thursday. It finally reopened at about 4 p.m. Friday.

The storm is expected to continue on a northeasterly path away from Florida. Scattered storms are present Friday in Southwest Florida as the tail end of the storm makes its way through the area. Conditions will be drier for the weekend, with significantly less storm coverage forecast for Sunday.

Hermine worsens threat to Manasota Key condos

Charlotte County officials have deemed a pair of Manasota Key condos unsafe because of worsening erosion issues. Waves crashed just feet away from the La Coquina condos off North Beach Road as sandbags were swept into the Gulf of Mexico on Friday amid the lingering effects of Hermine.

Condo owners have dealt with erosion for nearly 30 years. Sandbags have been in use since 1988 along the buildings as the distance to the shoreline has grown progressively smaller.

It’s up to building owners to get an engineer to re-evaluate the condos, and owners are still working with the state to get a permanent seawall built.

Panhandle, Big Bend deal with brunt of storm

A 78 mph wind gust was also recorded at Alligator Point, a coastal community in Franklin County close to the point of landfall. Water damage also took its toll there, as the only road going in and out of Alligator Point could be seen crumbling into the Gulf on Friday.

Waves going over top of roads, downed powerlines and fallen trees, some of which smashed into homes, were common sights in the hardest-hit areas of the panhandle and the Big Bend.

 

“You never know what’s going to happen because it’s so unpredictable, especially one like this,” Cedar Key resident Mike Davis said before the aftermath of the storm became apparent.

Visit WINK News Hurricane Central for continued updates and to make sure you have what you need to be prepared for the effects of any tropical system.