HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. — Dozens of homeowners along the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County on Friday are now trying to assess the damage to their homes after Hurricane Nicole's storm surge caused waves that created even more beach erosion.
On Hutchinson Island in Martin County, our WPTV news crew saw standing water on streets on Friday morning.
Patios and staircases were washed away by the storm, and some garage walls were also washed away, opening up the back of one home.
Even concrete crumbled and waves jeopardized the foundations behind homes.
Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just south of Vero Beach around 3 a.m. Thursday.
It just shows how risky the storm might have been for homeowners who decided to stay.
"We were just hoping for some flooding, and maybe that would be it, but we were lucky," resident Jordan Degusipe said. "I can’t imagine a higher category, because this was only a Category 1."
The cleanup is only beginning, so it’s still too soon to say how costly all the damage might be.
