NewsTreasure CoastRegion Martin County

Actions

Irma brings beach erosion concerns

Posted at 7:45 PM, Sep 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-05 04:50:06-04

Hurricane Irma is on the minds of everyone here in South Florida especially those living along the beaches.

Some of those beaches are still recovering from beach erosion caused by Hurricane Matthew nearly a year ago.

RELATED: Check local gas prices | Hurricane Guide | Latest on Irma

At Ohana Surf Shop in Stuart, Brent Meinhold is keeping a close eye on the models.

"They're just constantly changing," said Meinhold.

At Bathtub Beach, same story for the Roulette family.

"I think Irma has everybody kind of on edge," said Sarah Roulette.

Their concern is this storm could damage their favorite beach after seeing millions of dollars spent on renourishment projects.

"Add more sand, move the sand," said Roulette.

In 2016, Bathtub Beach underwent a multi-million dollar renourishment, then Hurricane Matthew came through and another two million dollars was sunk into it.

Now Irma looms.

Terry Gibson with the Environmental Defense Fund says we need to look at the long-term picture.

"These beaches will just move back, but can we get to them, can people live on them, should they live on them? These are the questions we need to ask," said Gibson.

For people enjoying the beach, the hope is Irma stays away.