JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The Jacksonville Beach dunes did exactly what they were supposed to do during Tropical Storm Ian.
Keep water where it belongs.
“They're like sawed in half really from what I'm used to," said Joe Annarella. "I used to walk from Neptune Beach down off of those dunes and here also where they like gradually come in and buffer, but these are sawed in half,"
Kevin Brown, Beach Marine Ecology Activist, says he did a survey Friday morning and the average loss of the sand dune was between five and 10 feet. That’s about 25 percent of the dune.
“High tide washed away the forward dune which is what the forward dune is for," said Brown. "The forward dune is to take on the storm surge and protect commercial and residential property."
The storm left the sand dunes with a cliff like structure.
Mayor Christine Hoffman of Jacksonville Beach says standing on top of these dunes isn't safe.
“We want people to be very careful they are unsecure and dangerous for people to be on top of underneath or even near," said Hoffman. "They may look inviting for a photo but they are unstable."
Brown says the dunes could recover in less than five years, but to bring them back it’s going to take conservation efforts and for people to stay off them.