Crews assessing post-Hurricane Idalia dune restoration after weekend storms
INDIAN SHORES, Fla. - After months of working to restore sand dunes on beaches that saw severe erosion after Hurricane Idalia, crews in Pinellas County are now working to determine the impacts caused by this weekend's storm.
Pinellas County spokesperson Tony Fabrizio told FOX 13 that his team started assessments on their dune restoration projects yesterday.
He explained that photos show some substantial erosion from the storm in certain areas, but it’s too soon to know the significance as crews continue those assessments Monday.
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They had just started making good progress after Hurricane Idalia, which caused severe erosion on Pinellas beaches, washing away dunes and as much as four feet of the beach’s height in some places.
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In the weeks following, county officials said the tourism development tax helped them pay for a contractor to bring in truckloads of sand in order to rebuild dunes and replant vegetation to protect homes and infrastructure from future storms; a multi-million-dollar emergency beach erosion control project.
This project has two phases, starting with the emergency protection phase happening now, which will be completed well before next year's hurricane season.
RELATED: Pinellas County beach restoration project enters final phase as completion nears
In a few years, the second phase will be full beach nourishment.
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Crews have already completed restoration at Pass-a-Grille, Sunset Beach, Upham Beach, and most recently, Indian rocks and Belleair beaches.
READ: 185,000 tons of sand placed on Pinellas County beaches since Hurricane Idalia
Madeira Beach was in the final stretch, and officials believe some dunes in that area were impacted by storm surge because of how it managed to seep into the streets and flood some homes and businesses on Sunday morning.
Work was also scheduled to continue through midweek on Indian Shores, which is the last and longest stretch of these restoration efforts.
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Fabrizio added that he had not received any information yet suggesting that restoration will be delayed.
Indian Shores beach is currently closed.