(Trends Wide) — Homes and buildings are collapsing into the ocean and authorities have issued warnings to evacuate some areas as Tropical Cyclone Nicole pushes a massive volume of ocean water onto the coast of southeastern Florida.
Video from Volusia County shows homes crumbling, reduced to rubble, as waves from Nicole erode the shoreline. Another video shows the county beach safety office collapsing from rising waters.
“Right now, ground zero is here,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told Trends Wide affiliate WESH-TV on Wednesday as Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane.
A Wilbur-by-the-Sea beachside home perched on the edge of a sand cliff Wednesday after strong waves and tidal surges caused by Tropical Storm Nicole washed up 20 feet of sand. Credit: WKMG
An area of brick outside the partially washed out house, with just a few inches of sand between the house and the beach below. Credit: WESH
There are three main factors that contribute to the dangerous situation of the coast.
The storm surge from Cyclone Nicole, which peaked at 6 feet (1.8 meters) Thursday morning, is significant given the magnitude of the storm as it approached Florida on Wednesday with tropical storm force winds stretching for more than 800 kilometers (500 miles).
That swell came ashore on exceptionally high tides associated with this week’s full moon.
And behind all this, the sea level in this part of Florida has risen more than 30 centimeters (1 foot) in the last 100 years, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, for its acronym in English), and most of that increase has occurred in the last three decades.
It’s what we feared would happen. This home in Wilbur-By -The-Sea collapsed into the ocean. @WFTV pic.twitter.com/f6nNr6TmLE
— Christy Turner (@CTurnerWFTV) November 10, 2022
Scientists and researchers have long warned that rising sea levels are causing more erosion and flooding from high tides, especially during extreme coastal storms. This is putting even more pressure on the levees, which are meant to protect coastal communities from high waves and rising water levels.
“Brian McNoldy, a research associate at the University of Miami School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, explained to Trends Wide that rising sea levels gradually increase the pressure on the levees. “More and more of them are gradually, completely submerged in salt water, which concrete doesn’t like.
McNoldy also pointed out that these walls are aging, and that the consecutive nature of the storms is making the levees more vulnerable. Just six weeks ago, storm surge from Hurricane Ian eroded parts of Florida’s eastern coast.
“You don’t need a strong storm, just high or storm-tossed tides that drag or put extra stress on the walls,” he said. “By having these two storms six weeks apart, if you don’t give places time to repair or replenish, each storm definitely leaves its mark.”
Sea level rise is putting more coastal homes at risk from storm surges, high tides and big waves. Credit: WKMG
Parts of houses are seen collapsing onto the beach due to storm surge from Hurricane Nicole, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, Fla. Credit: John Raoux/AP
Many US coastal communities regularly experience tidal flooding, or flooding from high tides. Rising sea levels, caused by rising water temperatures and melting glaciers and ice sheets, increase the dangers to which coastal residents are exposed.
NOAA reported in 2019 that by 2050, the United States will experience 25 to 75 days of high-tide flooding.
In addition, storm surges from hurricanes are getting higher, and homes and other critical infrastructure are now exposed to saltwater and erosion compared to a few decades ago.
