Volusia County braces for Imelda’s effects on coastal initiatives

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to maintain a path parallel to the Florida coast through early this week, and the main center of the storm isn’t forecast to make landfall, but indirect impacts, especially along the shoreline, are likely.

Beachgoer Alice Tumaneng said she’s noticing the difference during her latest trip to Daytona Beach Shores.

“We haven’t been able to have beach access for two years. So this is like the first time they opened up all the stairs and everything,” she said.

The county’s sand placement project began in June, adding truckloads of sand to areas still recovering after losing millions of cubic yards during past storms.

“It was horrible. Not only erosion, but you had these sea walls coming down and chunks of concrete and bricks,” Volusia County resident Kevin McNichol recalled.

[VIDEO: Preparations ahead of potential stormy weather in Volusia County]

Many residents, like McNichol, said they aren’t panicking about the heavy rains expected this week, but hope the dunes and sand hold up.

Volusia County Coastal Director Jessica Fentress said teams across the county are preparing for the impact, especially on the new sand and dunes recently placed from Daytona Beach Shores down to Ponce Inlet.

“We are anticipating that there will be erosion because that’s what the sand is supposed to do,” she explained.

“You’ll notice the cliffs, but the sand is not going away. As long as the sand is there, it’s coming from the berm and being moved naturally from the upland berm to what we call the near-shore breaker area.”

Fentress added that even if some sand is lost, it still does its job—protecting the coast.