ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Those living in St. Augustine and the Davis Shores neighborhood, both of which have experienced catastrophic flooding, are now bracing for potential impacts from Nicole.
St. Augustine already saw significant flooding at high tide Wednesday morning. Along the seawall, the entire street leading up to the Bridge of Lions was underwater — similar to what happened during Ian.
Meanwhile, St. Augustine and Davis Shores residents were preparing throughout the day for what Nicole may bring, and the high tide gave them a preview of what could be on the way.
Lorese Peterson, who lives in St. Augustine, has experienced flooding before.
“Very badly, and unfortunately, we’re still trying to survive from Ian,” Peterson said. “We’re still waiting for our roof to be fixed from Ian. So we just had them come as best as they could to try to secure the plastic on the roof and just hope that water doesn’t come back in. ... It’s a regular thing around here. But yeah, it just stinks that they’re so close together, and a lot of people are still trying to get their houses back in order and now you’re having more flooding on top of it.”
Peterson has also sandbagged her home. Businesses and neighbors throughout St. Augustine were doing that, too. News4JAX watched as city crews picked up loose signs from the roadway to prevent them from becoming possible projectiles.
In Davis Shores, residents told News4JAX that they were preparing for the next high tide Wednesday night.
Robert Edwards, who moved to Davis Shores a couple of years ago, was in prep mode.
“I actually went to Ketterlinus Elementary School yesterday and picked up six sandbags. My wife said I should’ve gotten 50,” he said Wednesday, chuckling. “But she’s not the one lifting ‘em.”
People living in the Davis Shores community have stocked up on sandbags and some have even doubled up with plastic lining in front of their homes.
Not too far away on the water, Brian Holloway will stay on his employer’s boat for the next couple of days. He was also preparing for the storm.
“The next high tide is probably going to be our biggest one, our biggest concern, with the stronger winds,” Holloway said. “We’ve got our lines doubled up, tripled up. Extra fenders, I’ve got more fenders and poly balls on the way.”
Voluntary evacuations for St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach remain in effect.
