FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Nassau County received 700 reports of damaged homes or businesses and sustained some storm surge and beach erosion, but county officials consider themselves "very lucky" there was not more damage from Hurricane Matthew.
By Sunday afternoon, power was restored to all but 9 percent of customers, and crews from Amelia Island and across the county were working into the night to get back to 100 percent restoration by Monday.
“We just got to work and our community has just kind of come around us and supported us as well,” said Aleida Socarras, with Florida Public Utilities. “It’s just been phenomenal the cooperation between the emergency services, the city, the county. Everyone has just pulled together, and it’s a beautiful story to see how this community has come together.”
Recovery efforts will keep the county school system closed Monday.
Nassau County was ready to close its only remaining shelter Sunday afternoon, but the two remaining occupants had no power in their homes and more people were returning to the county not knowing whether they could return home, so the Red Cross opened a host shelter at Jones First Baptist Church, 28222 Church Drive, in Hilliard.
Director of Emergency Management Billy Estep estimates the county spent $10 million dealing with and in the initial recovery from the storm, and that amount will likely climb as more detailed information is compiled throughout the county.
President Barack Obama named Nassau County as one of eight counties in Florida to be eligible for federal funds in his major disaster declaration. Federal assistance to the county is for “protective action," which includes the costs of a mandatory evacuation of Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, and the costs of debris collection.
Three county inspectors were checking the structural integrity of damaged properties.
Most damage reports to structures were to private homes on the Island as a result of trees falling on houses.
There were numerous power lines down, as well, and Estep says beach erosion, especially in the southern part of the county, will impact the Island not just for beachfront homes, but to tourists in the long term.
Damage to the Fernandina Beach Marina alone was estimated at $3 million or more.
Caution tape barricaded the boardwalk area Sunday, preventing people from walking out near the docks. Some light poles were bent at the base by the high winds.
Estimates of other property damage will come in over the next few days.
But overall, damage was much less than the county feared.
"We were preparing for a Category 4 hurricane. It wobbled away from the coast and dropped to a Category 2, so we didn't have the storm surge we would have expected," Nassau County Public Information Officer Dave Richardson said.
Nassau County will establish a Disaster Recovery Center in coordination with FEMA this week and will announce the location as soon as Monday. There, Nassau citizens can receive help filing for uninsured individual federal assistance and other grant programs in place to assist individuals.
Debris pickup will begin this week. Homeowners are responsible for making sure all debris is placed curbside.