LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – While the impact from now Tropical Storm Nicole caused much more issues for areas further north, some South Florida areas also saw some destruction from the storm that strengthened into a hurricane before being downgraded Thursday morning.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s pier, Anglin’s Fishing Pier, was damaged by the wind, rain and waves created by Nicole.
The middle part of the pier, which is normally 900 feet in length, appeared to be completely missing.
“Irma destroyed all the rest out there in the front and now this,” one beachgoer said. “What’s crazy is that this isn’t a hurricane anymore, it’s just waves and wind that took it out. So that’s what’s odd to me.”
The pier has a long history in the city, going back to 1940. It was destroyed in 1963 and rebuilt.
For several decades, people have been going to the pier to fish, take pictures or just enjoy the scenery, but on Thursday morning, part of that pier was gone.
“I didn’t think it would fall right there,” said Matteo Burrell, who has been fishing at the pier for 15 years. “It’s just really sad to see it snap right there.”
The pier was still undergoing repairs from Hurricane Irma, so this was a major setback.
“We will survive. We’re strong,” the pier’s owner told Local 10 News. “This is an iconic footprint of the people of Florida.”
The owner said there were waves as high as 25 feet overnight due to the storm.
The pier is normally open 24 hours a day for fishing.
“Anglin’s Fishing Pier is such an iconic landmark in our town, and seeing it damaged is heartbreaking. While the pier is privately owned, I know our Town will do what we can to support the property owner in the coming days and months,” Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Chris Vincent said in a statement.
Waves also crashed onto the pier in Deerfield Beach.
City officials said they need to get a structural engineer to assess the damage in the next few days. City engineers have deemed it structurally unsafe.
Nicole, now a tropical storm, made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane just south of Vero Beach in the early morning hours on Thursday.