FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Fernandina Beach is warning residents and visitors that the effects of a nor’easter last week have left unstable conditions along the beach.
The city posted on Facebook, showing a line of cliffs that were created by strong rip currents during the recent storms. If you have ever seen what looks like a mini cliff of sand at the beach, it’s called an escarpment line.
Some of the drop-offs are as high as 4 to 5 feet.
The city has warned that these escarpment lines can be unstable, and visitors are advised to exercise caution in the area.
The city said workers will cut down the escarpment lines once conditions allow. At Fernandina Beach, the line goes along the coast in Nassau County, and at its worst, it got up to 5 feet high.
City crews knocked it down to 3 feet.
“This is normal post-renourishment activities,” said Jeremiah Glisson, Deputy Manager for Fernandina Beach. “We see this pretty often, Mother Nature moves the sand around where it sees fit, and we see the sand increase in areas toward the south end usually, and our dune system continues to grow and has grown quite a bit.”
The city works with the Army Corps of Engineers for post monitoring of the beach, and there will be a full assessment on Wednesday, Oct 15.
The nor’easter also produced coastal flooding further south in St. Augustine over the weekend.
During the flooding, King Street, Bridge Street and several others were closed, and cars could be seen completely covered by water.
Additionally, Duval County experienced minor beach erosion, while St. Johns County has some erosion in Vilano Beach near the dunes.
The weather also forced the county to close vehicular access to its beaches.
As of Tuesday morning, Vilano Beach vehicular access remained closed because the county needs to repair a ramp.
The county is recommending or requiring 4-wheel-drive vehicles at other beach access points:
- Porpoise Point- 4WD Only
- A St- 4WD Only
- Ocean Trace- 4WD Recommended
- Dondanville- 4WD Recommended
- Matanzas Ave- 4WD Recommended
- Mary St- 4WD Recommended
- Crescent- 4WD Only
- Fort Matanzas- EXIT ONLY