The emergency dunes project completed in 2023 along the northern 11.4 miles of Flagler County’s beach did exactly what was intended as Hurricane Milton ripped across the state: it protected infrastructure, including roads and houses along State Road A1A.
“It’s wonderful when we succeed in protecting the county’s improved property – that’s the goal – even if it feels a little frustrating for everyone to feel like these areas have gone back to square one,” said Coastal Engineering Administrator Ansley Wren-Key. “We are estimating how much sand was lost to the dune system from Hurricane Milton, as that is what FEMA will rebuild as Category B Emergency Berm in the areas determined to be eligible.”
The Flagler County Engineering Department will work with FEMA to calculate the volume of sand lost and create a report that, in part, will be used to determine areas of eligibility – a process that could take a couple of months. Once reviewed, FEMA will determine how much sand it will provide for the project.
“We will get this work done as quickly as possible. It will be at the county’s discretion where to place the sand,” Wren-Key said. “We can put more sand in areas that are more vulnerable to washover in the future.”
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project within the City of Flagler Beach south to the Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area also served its purpose.
“The beach – the towel space – is in a normal process of beach profile equilibration (adjustment),” Wren-Key said. “The USACE will do post-storm surveys to see how much sand volume was removed with the storm. “We just need to remember that the sand is not lost, and it just moved slightly offshore.”
The USACE will conduct its beach damage inspection and survey to calculate the actual loss, and then a determination will be made as to what repairs are required.
