Hurricane Nicole causes more than $500 million in damage to Volusia County

Daytona Beach Shores begins safety inspections for buildings impacted by Nicole Reda Daabies looks at a breached seawall from the 18th floor of his condo in Daytona Beach on Thursday.Joe Raedle/Getty Images VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Initial assessments after Hurricane Nicole show the storm caused more than half a billion dollars in damage in Volusia County. More than $363 million dollars in damage comes from Daytona Beach Shores, according to the property appraiser. In the city, 93 structures suffered some sort of damage from the storm, including more than 20 high-rise hotels and condos that were evacuated due to structural safety concerns. Over the weekend, the city of Daytona Beach Shores deemed eight of those buildings safe, after an engineer assessment. Those buildings include Castaways Beach Resort, Towers Grande, Twin Towers North, Twin Towers South, Sunglow Resort, Dimucci Tower, and Curran Shores South. “Those residents can come back into their properties and be able to inhabit them again,” Mayor Nancy Miller said. Miller spoke about the progress so far in the coastal community while talking to News 6 Monday. “Each one of these properties had to contact a structural engineer, hire them,” Miller said. “When they came out and deemed it was safe, we had a process in place that they report to their chief building inspector. He went over all the paperwork.” Emergency sand is now being brought in to protect some properties from the tide. “Right now, we have representatives here that are able to work with you if you bring your plans in, the structural engineers, it’s going to be a temporary restoration case-by-case for condos or buildings,” Miller said. Beach erosion was a problem in Daytona Beach Shores before Hurricane Nicole hit. The storm washed away what little was left after Hurricane Ian. “The county, state and federal — it’s going to take all of us working together to come up with a solution that’s going to work long-term where we don’t have to go through this every storm,” Miller said. Carolyn Simon owns a home on Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores. Her beach walkover was destroyed, and there was little room left between the remaining dune and her back porch. “Nothing like this has ever happened,” Simon said. “When Matthew was out there, we had like a 10-foot cliff in the dunes, but it came back.” Simon said her next-door neighbor built a temporary sea wall after Hurricane Ian hit in late September. Nicole washed it away. “The day after Ian, they got their contractor out here, and they put in all the sand and all those things,” Simon said. “Now, you can see the sea wall is gone.” Simon has lived in her home since the early 1990s. She is hopeful the city will get help that is needed and rebuild. “This is our economy sitting here on the beach. World famous beach. Can’t get to it now,” Simon said.

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FEMA assistance for Volusia County residents: Here's how to apply

Volusia County has now been added to the list of residents who can get assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the destruction left behind by Hurricane Ian. Residents can apply for individual assistance through FEMA which may include grants to pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, together with other serious disaster-related expenses. Individual Assistance received through disaster-associated grants are not taxable income and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, welfare assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps, Supplemental Income, Social Security Disability Insurance or any other federal benefits. How to apply for FEMA assistance if you live in Volusia County Residents can apply online here, through the FEMA app, or by calling 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.  The county will also serve as a resource to help residents apply for FEMA assistance. Staff at six Volusia County public libraries will be available to help residents apply.  Staff will help residents at the following Volusia County libraries: DeBary Public Library: 200 N. Charles R. Beall Blvd., DeBary Deltona Regional Library: 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona Edgewater Public Library: 103 W. Indian River Blvd., Edgewater Hope Place Public Library: 1310 Wright St., Daytona Beach New Smyrna Beach Regional Library: 1001 S. Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach Ormond Beach Regional Library: 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach FEMA assistance is also available to residents in these counties:  Charlotte Collier DeSoto Flagler Hardee Hillsborough Lee Manatee Orange Osceola Pinellas Polk Putnam Sarasota Seminole County St. Johns   Photo courtesy: Volusia County Sheriff's Office The post FEMA assistance for Volusia County residents: Here's how to apply appeared first on Fox 35 Orlando.

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