MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Residents woke up to heavy storm surge in Sewall's Point early Thursday morning and many are thankful they were largely spared from any major damage.
“We were very worried about the flooding,” said resident Chelsea Hoffman.
Storm surge from Hurricane Nicole covered the Sewall's Point Neighborhood.
“When I came out this morning, the water was starting to recede, you can see the debris line right there,” said Hoffman. “I actually think it came further up, but the debris stayed there. That log was in the middle of the street. We had coconuts, branches, making a pile.”
She was worried at one point the water would start seeping into her mom’s home.
“That’s the highest I’ve ever seen the water get here,” Hoffman said.
And about two miles away on Hutchinson Island where Nicole made landfall, a wave buoy traveled from Fort Pierce with the storm, washing ashore on Stuart Beach.
“I think it’s pretty cool, you know, that’s they were sending, we get the signal that there was 27 to 28-foot waves out there,” said Bill Farrell. "I mean I’ve seen buoys wash up but not a wave buoy like that.”
Bill and Stephanie Farrell just moved here from New Jersey six months ago. This was their first Florida hurricane.
“Our dock is in bad shape we lost a piece of it, it’s like a 100-yard dock and it’s all wavy,” Farrell said.
However, that’s most of the damage where they live. Residents are thankful the outcome of Nicole wasn’t more severe.
“The storm could have been a lot worse and fortunately for us, and hopefully people north have similar uneventful outcomes,” said John Jatczak, who lives near Stuart Beach.
