At least four people have died during the damage wrought by Nicole’s overnight landfall Thursday along Florida’s eastern shore, which knocked out power to thousands, pushed buildings near collapse and flooded the coast as the first hurricane to hit the United States in November in nearly 40 years,
CNN reports.
Two people were “electrocuted by a downed power line” in Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
A tornado threat, plus powerful wind and heavy rain, are expected to continue Thursday in parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina after Nicole, which hit at Category 1 strength, weakened to a tropical depression. All tropical storm and storm surge warnings have however been discontinued.
Meanwhile, communities are assessing the damage.
At least 49 beachfront buildings including 24 hotels and condos have been deemed “unsafe” following Hurricane Nicole in Volusia County, officials said in a press release. “The structural damage along our coastline is unprecedented,” county manager George Recktenwald said in the release. “We have never experienced anything like this before, so we ask for your patience as we make our assessments.
An additional 11 structures on Daytona Beach shores have already been deemed compromised, according to Recktenwald.
Volusia County officials have “declared a curfew in incorporated and unincorporated areas east of the Intracoastal Waterway from 11:22 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, through 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11,” said a Volusia County storm update.
Two hundred residents were housed in county shelters, said the update. Three shelters remain open. Roughly 23,000 customers are without power in the county, according to PowerOutage.us.
