Nicole bringing heavy rains, tornadoes to Carolinas as it moves toward the northeast - WPBF West Palm Beach

JOSIE, THANK YOU. WELL, NOW TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY NICOLE. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS NEW VIDEO OUT OF THE LUCIA COUNTY. THE EROSION IS SO BAD IN SOME AREAS THAT SOME HOMES WILL NEED TO BE CONDEMNED. PORTIONS OF A1A HAD TO BE CLOSED BECAUSE THE ROAD WAS COLLAPSING INTO THE OCEAN. THIS STORM LEAVING A PATH OF DESTRUCTION ALONG FLORIDA’S EAST COAST AND DOZENS OF BUILDINGS ALONG THE COAST AT RISK OF COLLAPSING. THIS IS OUR POOL DECK. WE HAD THESE SKI HUTS THERE. THAT’S OUR POOL. BUNCH OF LOUNGERS AND CHAIRS, WHICH WE JUST PAINTED AND REDID FROM THE DAMAGE FOR ME. AND WHAT DID IT SOUND LIKE WHEN IT CAME CRASHING DOWN? IT SOUNDED LIKE A SEMI-TRUCK HIT THE WALL. IT WAS ABNORMALLY LOW. IT’S JUST UNBELIEVABLE. LIKE, I’VE BEEN ON THIS COASTLINE FROM SOUTH FLORIDA TO HERE MY ENTIRE LIFE, 48 YEARS. I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING REMOTELY CLOSE. NICOLE MAKING LANDFALL SOUTH OF VERO BEACH AS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE INVOLUTION COUNTY. 49 BUILDINGS HAVE NOW BEEN DEEMED UNSAFE, SAFE, INCLUDING TWO DOZEN HOTELS AND CONDOS. THIS STORM HITTING AREAS THAT WERE STILL RECOVERING FROM HURRICANE IAN, WHICH SLAMMED THE WEST COAST OF OUR STATE JUST SIX WEEKS AGO. AND THEN MADE ITS WAY OVER TO THE EAST COAST. FORECASTERS IN GEORGIA ARE NOW ON HIGH ALERT AS NICOLE MOVES IN. THEY’RE WARNING OF POSSIBLE TORNADOES AND DOWNED TREES TODAY. AND OVER IN BREVARD COUNTY, OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX SIGNIFICANT EROSION ALONG ITS COASTLINE. THIS IS WHAT A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS ARE DEALING WITH. I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS. COUNTY LEADERS SAY THEIR BEACH IS SHRINKING WHILE DAMAGE TO SAND AND DUNES GROWING. HOWEVER, THEY SAY THEY ARE JUST SO GLAD THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE. MEANWHILE, CREWS ON THE TREASURE COAST ARE STILL ASSESSING DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE HURRICANE. OKAY. CALIFANO IS IN SAINT LUCIE COUNTY WHERE BEACHES ARE GOING TO SLOWLY REOPEN TODAY. AND IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE HOW BEAUTIFUL THE BEACHES TODAY HERE IN FORT PIERCE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO WHAT WE SAW WITH HURRICANE NICOLE. MOST BEACHES AND PARKS ACROSS SAINT LUCIE COUNTY ARE NOW BACK OPEN TODAY. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL A SELECT FEW THAT WILL BE CLOSED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. THOSE BEACHES AND PARKS ARE NORTH CAUSEWAY ISLAND PARK, WHITE CITY PARK, WALTON ROCKS, BEACH AND FAIR WINDS GOLF COURSE. THEY ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE FLOOD WATERS AROUND THESE AREAS TO SUBSIDE. PEOPLE THIS MORNING IN FORT PIERCE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPEN BEACHES. WE TALKED TO ONE MAN WHO’S GLAD TO BE BACK ON HIS ROUTINE. NOW THAT YOU SEE, IT’S BACK TO NORMAL. AND HE’S PRETTY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. OH, DEFINITELY. YEAH. ENJOYING THE MORNING LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED NOW. YESTERDAY, AS THE SUN CAME UP, WE GOT A BETTER LOOK AT THE DAMAGE ACROSS OTHER PARTS OF THE TREASURE COAST UP IN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY. MANY BEACHES STILL REMAIN CLOSED AFTER MAJOR EROSION, INCLUDING JAYCEE PARK IN VERO BEACH DOWN IN MARTIN COUNTY AND HUNDREDS IN ISLAND’S BATHTUB BEACH. THE STORM SURGE HIT MANY HOMES IN THE AREA HARD. THIS HOME LOST THE ENTIRE FLOOR OF ITS GARAGE. BACK HERE IN SAINT LUCIE COUNTY, CREWS ARE STILL WORKING HARD ON A SLICK PORTION OF INDIAN RIVER DRIVE THAT WAS WASHED OUT DURING THE STORM. OFFICIALS TELL US THEY SHOULD HAVE THAT COMPLETED SOMETIME IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. FOR NOW, HERE IN FORT PIERCE, CALEB CALIFANO, WPBF, 25 NEWS OFFICIALS ON PALM BEACH ARE ALSO HOPING TO REOPEN BEACHES TODAY. THEY WERE CLOSED YESTERDAY BECAUSE OF HIGH SURF. THE ISLAND DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE, BUT THERE WERE SOME TRAFFIC SIGNALS THAT WERE OUT IN THE MIDTOWN AREA. CREWS ALSO HAD TO CLEAN UP DOWNED POWER LINES. FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT IS WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ELECTRICITY. AND AT ONE POINT YESTERDAY, AT LEAST 20,000 CUSTOMERS IN OUR FIVE COUNTIES DID NOT HAVE POWER. JUST IN THE PAST HOUR, ALL POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED TO ALL COUNTY, SAINT LUCIE COUNTY, STILL SITTING WITH ABOUT 70 PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER. AGAIN, POWER, FLORIDA, POWER AND LIGHT. THEY’RE FULLY AWARE AND THEY’RE WORKING TO RESTORE THAT POWER. FPL HEAD CREW IS READY TO TURN THE POWER BACK ON QUICKLY. SHORTLY AFTER THE STORM MADE LANDFALL THERE NEAR VERO BEACH. WE’RE EXPECTING ANOTHER UPDATE FROM FPL ON THE RESTORATION EFFORT