JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – As the forecast track for Category 4 Hurricane Matthew becomes clearer, the storm's size and project path show striking similarities to those of another hurricane that hit 17 years ago. Hurricane Floyd, a massive Category 4 storm, skirted up Florida's east coast in 1999, causing significant damage and destroying the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
The pier had to be completely rebuilt. It reopened in 2004 with some structural differences to help it stay standing the next time a hurricane comes through.
Many are hoping Matthew won't be that hurricane, but the similarities are hard to ignore.
"The fear, in some ways, is the fact that it is going to flirt so close to the coast that we have to gear up. But, hopefully, nothing will come of it," said News4Jax Chief Meteorologist John Gaughan.
Gaughan, who was in Jacksonville when Hurricane Floyd passed by Florida's east coast, said that even without a direct landfall, the storm's impact was felt in a big way.
"One to three days without power. The beaches were evacuated. It created a huge nightmare backup up and down I-10 and I-95. That was really the headline coming out of Floyd, as changes were made since then to help evacuations of the future," Gaughan said.
FROM THE VAULT: Channel 4 news coverage of Floyd
Floyd led to the third-largest evacuation in United States history. The Florida Department of Transportation now has a plan in place to reverse all eastbound lanes of I-10 if needed, allowing traffic to quickly get as far west as possible.
Linda Cardwell, who has spent years working on the pier, said that when Hurricane Floyd hit, "It literally shook itself apart. As the waves hit, there's no way to give. So it starts to shimmy like this, and it just shakes itself apart."
Cardwell said she's not as worried this time around since the pier was rebuilt with modifications to allow panels to fall away while the core structure stays in place.
"We actually lost some panels over the side in nor'easters. Actually picked up 200-pound panels and moved them over the rail," Cardwell said.
But no matter how Matthew's track shifts, Gaughan said it is a storm to take just as seriously as Floyd.
"It doesn't have to be right on us. It can be just off the coast and cause severe damage, extreme flooding. And, again, the potential here for excessive damage all along the beaches from Georgia down to Central Florida," Gaughan said.
Gaughan advised that people stay on top on any changes in the forecast and remember that every hurricane is different.
"This track right here is just on the edge for evacuation for our coastal areas. Right here in Northeast Florida, any shift closer and it's a possibility that we would probably see those occur, especially from Central Florida up to the Carolinas," Gaughan said Monday evening.
While residents in Jacksonville Beach said they hope that Matthew will not come as close to the coast as Floyd, they said they feel prepared no matter what happens.