- February 12, 2025
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A gas station in Ormond-by-the-Sea had some exterior damage, but still has gas (Photos by Emily Blackwood).
A few of the beach walkways in Ormond-by-the-Sea were destroyed.
A lot of debris is still scattered along the beach.
Residents are concerned that Ormond-by-the-Sea might be last on the list for the county to cleanup.
Warren Moore used to walk down this walkway every day.
Warren Moore used to walk down this walkway every day.
"We never knew what was going on over there," Misty Palmer said while walking her dog, Pepsi, down to the end of her street. She left her home in Ormond-by-the-Sea and took shelter at a friend's house on mainland during Hurricane Matthew. The whole time she was wondering if her home was still there.
"There wasn't a lot of communication over here," she said. "Turns out the water created and got all the way down to the third or fourth house on this street. Thankfully there wasn't any flooding in the house."
Though many homes dodged a bullet, some were not so lucky. Roof and exterior damage were common in the homes closest to the beach. Dave Carey considers himself one of the lucky ones, as his beachside restaurant, Crabby Chris Beachside BBQ and Sweets, was practically unharmed.
"Water got up to where our sign is," he said. "But our little place made it. I was very surprised."
Warren Moore was one of the few Ormond-by-the-Sea residents that chose to stay in their homes and ride out the storm. He was so confident that it wasn't going to be as bad as people thought, that he didn't even board up his windows. Thankfully, he didn't have to.
"These 1950s block homes were built pretty damn good," he chuckled.
Moore, who grew up in Daytona Beach, said the thing he's worried about now is how long it will take the county to clean up the beach. Many of the beach ramps were destroyed, and debris and tree limbs are scattered on the sand.
"It seems like this northeast corridor doesn't get any attention," he said. Other residents agreed.
"No one has come by to pick up anything yet," Palmer said. "They kind of forget about us."
