- December 26, 2024
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An aerial photo of damage from Hurricane Milton in Flagler Beach. Courtesy of Flagler County
An aerial photo of damage from Hurricane Milton in Flagler Beach. Courtesy of Flagler County
Many trees and power lines were downed during Hurricane Milton, but only this one on Pheasant Drive caused damage to a home. Courtesy of Palm Coast
A tree blocks a driveway on Courtney Place. Courtesy of Palm Coast
Billing Place in Palm Coast, taken early Thursday, Oct. 10 after Hurricane Milton had passed off the east coast. Courtesy of Palm Coast
Crews work to clear London Drive of fallen trees. Courtesy of Palm Coast
Crews work to clear London Drive of fallen trees. Courtesy of Palm Coast
The FCSO's Emergency Response Team working to clear roads after Hurricane Milton. Courtesy of the FCSO
A truck got stuck in water covering the roadway on Hargrove Grade. Courtesy of the FCSO
The FCSO's Emergency Response Team working to clear roads after Hurricane Milton. Courtesy of the FCSO
The FCSO's Emergency Response Team delivering supplies after Hurricane Milton. Courtesy of the FCSO
A tree fell on a power line as a Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputy was patrolling during Hurricane Milton. Courtesy of the FCSO
Hurricane Milton has caused at least $19 million in residential damage across Flagler County, according to preliminary numbers from the county’s damage assessment.
The damage assessment process consists of county staff going to each home in Flagler County and reviewing the damage at each residence. As of 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, 309 homes were found to have less than 20% of damage, 71 with between 20-40% of damage and 17 with between 40-80% of damage.
Just over $11 million in residential damage occurred in Flagler Beach, $4.7 million in Palm Coast, $1.5 million in unincorporated Flagler County, $1.4 million in Beverly Beach and almost $196,000 in Bunnell. The county did not have data yet for Marineland.
Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said those are just rough numbers at this stage, and only factor in residential properties. The total value of the damage is also based on the value of the home, which can skew the data some, he said.
Regardless, the $19 million qualifies Flagler County residents for assistance from FEMA. Those property owners impacted by Hurricane Milton are encouraged to apply for disaster assistance if they do not have insurance coverage, a Flagler County press release said.
Property owners will first need to register for FEMA assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. The registration period is likely to close Dec. 10, though that date is likely to change, the press release said.
Financial assistance in the form of funds may be provided to an applicant, or housing may be provided by FEMA. Other FEMA assistance could include displacement assistance, serious needs assistance, personal property assistance, childcare assistance and more.
Almost the entire county has had their power restored — of the 50,000 that lost power during Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9 into Oct. 10, only 59 are still without power, according to the Florida Power & Light outage tracker.
In comparison, Flagler County sustained $10.6 million in residential damage after Hurricane Ian in 2022 and $23.7 million after Hurricane Nicole. Hurricane Nicole caused a breach in the county’s dunes, which did not happen during Hurricane Milton, Lord said.
The county’s emergency dune project, completed in 2023, instead did its job and protected both houses and infrastructure along 11 miles of Flagler County’s shoreline.
The Flagler County Engineering Department will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to calculate the volume of sand lost and create a report that will be used to determine areas of eligibility, a county press release said. FEMA will then determine how much sand it will provide to repair the area.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers project — extending from Flagler Beach to Gamble Rogers State Park — finished at the end of August, and also did its job to protect the city. Sand from the berm — towel space — area was moved offshore, just as it was designed to do, Coastal Engineering Administrator Ansley Wren-Key said in the press release.
The USACE will return to conduct post-storm surveys to see how much sand volume was removed with Hurricane Milton, she said.
“The beach – the towel space – is in a normal process of beach profile equilibration (adjustment),” Wren-Key said. “We just need to remember that the sand is not lost, and it just moved slightly offshore.”
