Nov 1, 2007 8:53 am US/Eastern
Noel Takes A Bite Out Of S. Fla. Beaches
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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A layer of sand covered A1A in Ft. Lauderdale Beach because of the heavy winds that blew throughout the day.
Jim Robinson, CBS4 News
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Some of the sand reached as far as storefronts on A1A.
Jim Robinson, CBS4 News
The whipping winds from two weather systems, including Tropical Storm Noel, is taking a heavy toll on South Florida beaches in the form of beach erosion.
The region is under a tropical storm warning, a wind advisory and a high surf advisory.
Broward County has suffered some severe beach erosion from the pounding surf, especially during high tide.
In the beach area behind the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood Beach, patrol trucks were pulling lifeguard stands further away from the surf because the tide had gotten too close for safety.
"When you get the wave sweep from the northeast down to the south, it takes a lot of the sand away," said Chief Vince Canosa, with Hollywood Fire Rescue Beach Safety. "So we're experiencing some erosion on the north end and on the south end of the beach."
In Ft. Lauderdale beach sand was seen flying everywhere except in the area where sunbathers would normally be. A strip of A1A, which runs adjacent to the beach, was covered by a layer of sand that had blown to the west.
Officials on Miami Beach have been battling to fix an erosion problem for a while now. The government of Miami Beach recently spent $2-million to buy sand from the suburbs of West Palm and have it trucked in to replace lost beachfront property. Officials are also hoping that barriers installed a few years ago at 29th street on Miami Beach will help keep the sand in place.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
CBS4 Storm Center: Tropical Storm Noel
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