State officials hope to build seawall to fight flood damage in St. Augustine

Shanila Kabir
·2 min read
1

State and federal leaders are trying to address ongoing flooding issues in St. Johns County’s North Beach communities. They are looking at possible solutions like installing a seawall to protect homes and restaurants.

Now that we are in hurricane season, residents said they are preparing for potential floods. They add they are looking forward to any new infrastructure that can prevent damage to their homes, as well as the roads.

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“Fortunately, our house has not been directly affected. However, the road north of us and south of us has washed out during the hurricane season and it caused a few challenges for us,” Josh Eaton, a St. Augustine resident, said.

Officials are looking at potential solutions to prevent storm drainage issues in St. Johns County, particularly in the Vilano Beach area. They said infrastructure designed to prevent water from getting close to homes in the first place is a likely remedy for the consistent flooding problems in the area.

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“One of the best ways to do that is build a sea wall. We believe this may be the answer, and it is the most cost-effective,” U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford said.

While no plans have been authorized yet, Congressman John Rutherford said they are looking into how much a project of this scale would cost.

“FEMA has two plans out there. They’ve got a Flood Mitigation Act grant where they provide mitigation after a problem has happened. I prefer using the BRC money where we build resilient infrastructure for our community,” Rutherford said.

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Experts researching the problem say the North Beach community is substantially at risk for flooding, especially during hurricanes and other severe storms. Homes north of St. Augustine can see flooding up to three feet high and they hope these measures go into place so they can prevent flood damage rather than deal with costly repairs after the fact.

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