Dennis - damage reports & requests - merged to this thread

Re: Beaches are CLOSED til further notice!!!

Are those new steps to the beach built already????

I don't know.. I took the photo off a photo gallery on this list. It was dated 7/11... I think..

OOOPS, my bad.. the date was 6/11.. I was being optimistic I guess...

We, too, rent at Gulf Trace and I spoke to one staff member early this morning. Keep trying to reach them directly for confirmation regarding your rental of course, but know that the office property (on the water) fits that description much too literally now. They are moving office files into one of their rental properties at the moment.

Thanks for the information. I will continue to try to reach the office. When do you go and which home are you using?

Betty

Re: Beaches are CLOSED til further notice!!!

http://sowal.com/bb/gallery/files/2/0/0/IMG_0760.JPG

Check this out.. a pic of Seagrove Beach.. doesn't look all that bad.. bad.. but not that bad..

Question.. is this picture showing damage from TS Arlene.. or is this how Seagrove has looked since Ivan?

I just talked with Seaside rep
and there will be one beach walkover,
behind Roly Poly, in place by
Sat the 16th. I better start
packing...

Re: Beaches are CLOSED til further notice!!!

Question.. is this picture showing damage from TS Arlene.. or is this how Seagrove has looked since Ivan?

That would be Arlene's handy work.

We are staying at the Cottages at Camp Creek. I believe that is near Santa Rosa Beach!!

No, the Cottages at Camp Creek are on the eastern end of 30A about 2 miles west of Rosemary. Santa Rosa Beach is about 10 miles west the Cottages.

Re: Beaches are CLOSED til further notice!!!

Question.. is this picture showing damage from TS Arlene.. or is this how Seagrove has looked since Ivan?

This picture was taken after Arlene..NOT hurricane Dennis. This is what it looks like now.

http://www.sowal.com/bb/gallery/showimage.php?i=641

Pool is not ready but they're working on....cant get on the beach at Rosemary.....got there at Inlet & walked to High Pointe...severe damage to gulf front houses at Inlet.

Driving on 30-A you can really see no signs of damage to houses.

Where exactly is the public access at Inlet Beach? Does one stay on 30A to get to the Inlet beach access or do you get to it from 98?

Thanks much.

Hello,

Is there any chance that those who have been taking pictures of the area after Dennis have captured photos from Baird Rd (Santa Rosa Beach-Beach Highlands Neighborhood). It is on the North side of 30-A near Butler Elem. We are currently under construction and were curious to know if the frame survived.

Thanks for any help,

Curtis

Curtis, you should be fine. I drove down N Bishop and Hillside yesterday and noticed nothing more than signs of rain. If you had Tyvek exposed, it will probably need a new layer, but probably not much more than that.

Smilin Joe -

So glad to hear from you again. I heard some disturbing news about bldg. 1 at Eastern Shores. Do you know what is going on there? We are scheduled for 2 weeks at bldg. 2 in October, have been staying there 9 years and are curious. Thanks so much for all you do for peeps on this board. I know you must be very busy, but those of us who are landlocked really appreciate your efforts.

I am not familiar with Eastern Shores.

Folks:

We are not trying to be heavy handed here, just giving those who are arriving soon a realistic perception of what to expect (managing expectations). To be honest, we are amazed at some of the posts here as it seems some people just don't understand the situation. "Access" or "walkovers" aren't the issues right now. The point is, once you get to the beach, what do you have?

I would suggest going back and looking at the photos posted here.

The beaches have been stripped of a deep layer of sand. They are down to the "hard-pack" and in may areas the underlying layer of peat (formed over hundreds and thousands of years with the literal ebb and flow of the sea) is exposed.

The pristine deep "sugar sand" that your kids are used to playing in is gone. There is no sand to replace it. As someone posted above, nature might accomplish this in 5-10 years - or more. The TDC beach replenishment funds took a hard hit with last year's storms. Basically, there is not enough sand or resources to replace the beach in the near future.

Most likely, it will require dredging. (Just WHERE did the sand go? The wave action and high tides ripped it loose and carried it back out to sea. It's out there, it will take heavy dredging machinery and lots of time to remove it from the ocean floor, sift it and return it to the beaches). Will that be done this season? Most likely not. This is the BEGINNING of the hurricane seasone. IF sand were replenished tomorrow, "Emily," or the next storm, could come along next week and take it out to sea too.

Our point is that many people posting here are concerned about beach access. Like it or not, the beaches have been ripped apart. In some areas, we saw raw sewage from ripped up and exposed septic tanks. In one cove near Grayton, we saw enough lumber piled up on the shore line to stock 20 Home Depots. We have grandkids. I wouldn't let my grand kids on the beach today. I probably wouldn't let them on the beach next week - or the week after. But that's just me.

The edges of the dunes, many resembling cliffs, are unstable and dangerous. They could come crashing down on people below at any time. There are houses that have been and will be condemed hanging over the edges of some of these mini-cliffs. Who is going to let their kid play below that?

Our point is that there are lots of things to do here besides going to the beach. Albeit, the beach has, is and always will be a part of the lifestyle and experience here.

People are working as hard as possible to get it as good as possible as quickly as possible. The labor pool has been depleted since last hurricane season. because of the massive amount of clean up and construction. There's a shortage of carpenters, tradesmen, and yes, "sand shovelers." Regardless of the manpower and resources, it will take a long time to return to "normal."

We do not work for the TDC but are involved in real estate development thoughout FL and the SE. We are native Floridians and have ridden many a storm out.

We understand the worry and conern about vacation plans. We have been on the phone for two days with the people who have rented our properties, working with them to insure that they have a good time, but honestly telling them that the beach is in pretty bad shape. To do otherwise does them a diservice.

Stephanie
WaterColor

I have a few more photos to post and it will be this weekend before I can get to it most of them. I just wanted to get back to a small handfull of peeps with some photos of their homes. I am afraid that I have very bad news for some of you and good news for others. Let us remember to have a bit of sympathy instead of making outrageous comments regarding any of the upcoming photos. This will take a while, but I will give you doses of your homes and areas per post. For those of you who have lost your homes, I am sure you will be receiving very good energy from others.



For those of you Gulf-front owners on Blue Mtn Rd who were close to the back side of your lots, you now have the above notice on your door, and Officials with Walton Co are attemting to get in touch with you. Please remember that these messengers are delivering these to many people, and they are no happier about it than you.

Smiling JOe, you are correct, sir (as Ed McMahon would say)! According this morning's report from one of our Blue Mountain neighbors, at least 4 homes have been condemned. 😱

Bullard House on July 12, 2005
I notice some screens out on the east side.