After Irma, cleaning begins for some in Flagler County -- but it's not unfamiliar

Those at Surfside Estates had plenty of damage during Hurricane Matthew

BEVERLY BEACH, Fla. – The cleanup is just beginning for some people in Flagler County, but it's not unfamiliar.

Those at Surfside Estates in Beverly Beach with plenty of damage during Hurricane Matthew last year, found themselves in a similar situation after a 4 1/2-foot storm surge flooded part of the neighborhood.

"All the floors are shot," said Nora Clifford, who moved into the community in January. "When we got here yesterday, I was afraid to get out of the car because it was that high."

Home after home dealt with damage, like aluminum siding ripped off and scattered across the roadways or flooding up to several feet inside.

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Debris from Hurricane Irma is piled on Vassar Street in Orlando on Monday, Sept. 18.

"This house is destroyed, I think they're going to rip it down," said resident Wayne Rumsey.

Rumsey took News 6 on a drive, in his golf cart, through the community.

"They just remodeled this whole house," Rumsey pointed out. "They were getting ready to sell it. But now, they just moved out a week ago and kind of needs a lot of work now."

For Judy Clay, this one hurts. She and her husband, Howard, came back after evacuating, only to have their worst fears realized: their home destroyed for a second time in a year because of a hurricane.

"When we walk in and you smell all the mold and the stench from the water, the floors are warped, and they got to be tore out and start over," she said.

But don't expect them to give up and move out. The community has made them far too resilient for that.

"And when people say, 'How come people stay at these places cause they know it's going to happen again?' You get to love the place and you get to love the people and you're not leaving," Clay said.

As far as access goes to the barrier island, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office is only granting access to residents, business owners, employees and contractors, with checkpoints at each bridge. The county-wide curfew has been lifted, but there is still a curfew for the barrier island Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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