St. Augustine, Florida class action attorney Cameron Moyer built a twelve inch brick wall in front of the doors of his home on Marine Street in St. Augustine, thereby preventing flood damage. How ingenious. He flew in from Vermont on an urgent basis, preparing for the flood like the Biblical Noah, who built an ark, before the rain.
FEMA needs to take note of Mr. Moyer's idea and spread word for future hurricanes and floods.
Building a little wall -- what a great idea. It sure beats the hurry, scurry, worry and face-two-feet-of- poopy-water-in-your-house dance to which local government managers subjected residents.
Likewise, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Richard O'Brien determined to dump beach quality sand on A Street, preventing flood damage, with approval of Florida DEP. Building a berm with a few truckloads of dirt -- pure genius. Thank you!
FEMA likewise needs to share this idea with governments everywhere on Earth.
When the going gets tough, the tough start thinking: two local problem-solvers who prevented Hurricane Matthew flooding damage deserve credit for their ideas.
What an inspiring story -- as FDR said, "Governments can err, Presidents do make mistakes, but the immortal Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted in different scales. Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."
Here's the news story of SAB Mayor O'Brien's idea, which saved A Street from certain flood damage from Hurricane Matthew:
Posted October 15, 2016 12:02 am
By SHELDON GARDNER sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com
ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH: A Street residents say sand berm helped save their properties
While it couldn’t fully save St. Augustine Beach from the effects of Hurricane Matthew, Mayor Rich O’Brien’s decision to pile truckloads of sand on A Street is being credited for sparing many people a lot of recovery heartache.
At least that’s what Steve LeClair and a few others think.
“Totally saved us, completely,” said LeClair, co-owner of the Beachcomber Restaurant, a beachfront business on A Street.
LeClair stood in the business just after it reopened on Thursday and described the effect of the sand wall, where the city used truckloads of sand to fill the gap in dunes where vehicles drive onto the beach.
The business had some water and wind damage from the storm. But without having the added sand at A Street, LeClair said he doesn’t think the restaurant would have been operating as of Thursday.
His final comments: “Just, thank you.”
As Hurricane Matthew threatened St. Johns County, O’Brien said he realized something had to be done.
He had already been thinking about the vulnerability of A Street for some time, and he talked with officials about what could be done to help, he said.
Importing sand via trucks seemed to be the fastest option, but it still required approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, O’Brien said. Gov. Rick Scott helped in the process.
Also, the FDEP said only beach-quality sand could be used for the project, and St. Johns County had a supply available and donated more than a dozen truckloads of sand, O’Brien said.
“I’m pleased to say that putting the sand there that filled the gap in the dunes at the vehicle entrance to the beach did work,” O’Brien said. “And I’m very pleased to say that, because I think it prevented so much heartache and damage.”
O’Brien also asked about dividing up the loads between A Street and Ocean Trace Road, but only one street received sand because of the limited quantity, officials said.
Joe Howell, city public works director, said the city got advice from a coastal engineer who suggested creating a berm of 10 feet high, but all of the available sand would only bring a berm of about 7 or 8 feet at A Street alone.
O’Brien said he believes the decision was made to armor A Street because it was considered to be the most vulnerable, as well as the area that would experience the greatest negative impact without the sand.
“Had it not held, I don’t think the Beachcomber would be there today,” O’Brien said. “I will encourage expanding our armoring of these vulnerable streets in the future.”
LeClair wasn’t the only A Street resident who expressed gratitude on Thursday.
Tammie Driscol and her husband recently starting renting on A Street. She stood near the property, discussing the storm and the extra sand.
“That was the life-saver. … We would have had a lot more damage,” she said.
A couple of people said one resident pushed for something to be done about the gap in the sand, but O’Brien said aside from his wife he didn’t talk with a resident about it and made the decision based on his view to the benefit to the city.
David Hodges, who owns the property where the Driscols rent, said the extra sand was key.
Hodges and the Driscols evacuated for the storm, and Hodges said he believes houses would have had a few feet of water without the berm.
“If that had not been here we would have looked like Davis Shores,” Hodges said.
Clint Richardson, owner of Pit Surf Shop, said he believes the sand helped save his property from much damage.
“I think that made all the difference in the world,” he said.
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