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Posted: 8:46 PM Nov 10, 2009
Destin Residents Blaming Govt. for Ida Storm Damage
For most of us, Tropical Storm Ida didn't amount to much. But for a number of people on Destin's Holiday Isle in Okaloosa County, Ida was a nightmare they won't soon forget.
Reporter: Meagan O'Halloran Email Address: meagan.ohalloran@wjhg.com |
High winds from nearby Hurricane Gustav kick up waves before dawn in George Town, Grand Cayman Island, Aug. 30, 2008. Gustav swelled to a fearsome Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph as it shrieked toward Cuba. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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For most of us, Tropical Storm Ida didn't amount to much.
But for a number of people on Holiday Isle in Okaloosa County, Ida was a nightmare they won't soon forget.
Storm surge and rough waves took a toll on the Jetty East condominiums and other beachfront properties.
Some are now saying the damage could have been prevented.
When you think of a Gulf-front view, this isn't what most people have in-mind.
What used to be left of the beach here on Holiday Isle is now gone.
The constant wave action from Tropical Storm Ida washed-away all sand Monday.
The storm completely broke through the only protection Jetty East condominiums had against the rough seas, a sea-wall that's now destroyed.
Owners and management say the erosion was inevitable.
Beth White has been part of the management staff with Jetty East for four years now. If this continues, she is afraid people will be out of a home and she will be out of a job. She doesn’t understand why the complex has still not received sand to restore the beach.
“We needed it a year ago, we needed it six months ago. We needed it three months ago, we needed it three weeks ago. We've done everything we can, we've exhausted every avenue and we're not getting it."
Destin’s Mayor Craig Barker says he's been fighting for beach restoration legislation.
But it's a long and complex process.
"The problem is, we've been engaged in beach restoration in the city of Destin for over ten years now. We've been working hard every single day to get through the permitting process for this particular area of the beach.”
But securing the necessary permit is a time-consuming, scientific operation that requires an extensive amount of engineering groundwork.
With the current beach restoration statutes being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court, help may not come right away.
This is what frustrates White the most.
"Someone has to finally say, okay we gotta do it right now. We can't wait for this permit to go through, or that permit to go through. The sand is out there, it's right there! It's our beach, it's our sand in that water! Put it back on the beach!!"
Barker agrees and wants lawmakers to re evaluate their protocol.
"I think that process may have worked several decades ago. With the rate at which our beaches are eroding today, I think there needs to be a new process, a new thought process given to the way this bureaucratic process is laid out.”
Now Jetty East is left cleaning up the mess, a mess they say never should have even happened.
And White is quick to point the finger.
"I think there's a lot of people to blame. You have to think at some point, when you've been dealing with this since Ivan in 2005 when we lost the beach, that someone would have said “ok, they need it, and we need to do something now."”
Barker says the city of Destin is doing all they can to bring relief to Holiday Isle.
"I think the legislature needs to go back and re-address this to make sure the statutes that exist today are relevant with the current crisis situations we see all throughout the state of Florida.
The beach re-nourishment case is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on December 2nd.
Latest Comments
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD A HURRICANE BROUGHT THE SAND IN AND A HURRICANE WILL TAKE THE SAND BACK OUT. YOU MIGHT CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT, BUT YOU CAN'T CONTROL GOD!!!!!!!
I guess my parents forgot to include government intervention when they told me the parable of the house built on sand and the house built on rock.
A cloud got in the way of my wives sun tanning session, so can I blame the government?
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