Florida coastal residents desperate after Hurricane Nicole: 'Possibility of losing this house is real'

PONCE INLET, Fla. - People in Volusia County, Florida are worried their homes could collapse and are desperate for help.

Cloe Krevich and her mom Melanie Marshall are worried their home could collapse into the sand, as their back deck already has.

There is devastation to homes along the coast. Volusia County officials say 18 homes and a condo have been destroyed by Hurricane Nicole and many more have major damage.

"This is our house. We just moved here," said Cloe Krivich. "And if another one happens the whole house is going to go."

More than 30 homes have been deemed unsafe in Daytona Beach Shores, Wilbur-by-the-sea, New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet, including Krivich's.

"Why aren’t there 200 trucks of sandbags building reinforcements why aren’t they here?" added Melanie Marshall. "Just to be sitting here like a duck waiting for our home to fall into the ocean."

Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Friday that the Department of Environmental Protection will be using $20M for emergency sand placement. Families are hoping help from the state and county comes soon.

"If we get another storm, my house is gone," Jordin Vagovic, who lost most of his backyard after Hurricane Nicole. "If we don’t get this done quickly enough. The possibility of losing this house is real."

Volusia County officials say residents should reach out to their municipal city or county government’s building office first, as the county’s environmental management office is working closely with staff from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

They also add, if a building has been deemed unsafe, people should stay with family, friends  or a hotel or motel that is safe. If none of these options are available, impacted individuals can call the Citizens Information Center at 866-345-0345 to ask about available temporary housing.