'We dodged a really big one,' Fort Pierce resident says

FORT PIERCE, Fla. – It was hard to believe the big difference between Wednesday morning's surf in Fort Pierce and surrounding areas compared to Tuesday.

Those who spoke to Local 10 News reporter Ian Margol said they are breathing a sigh of relief that the area dodged a major hurricane.

On Tuesday, rough waves and whipping wind slammed the Fort Pierce coastline for much of the day as Hurricane Dorian's outer bands dragged across the area.

But by Wednesday morning, things looked pretty different.

"We dodged a really big one. It was the closest that we came to just total devastation," Lucky Harmon said. 

Harmon was one of dozens of people who went to Fort Pierce Jetty Park on Wednesday morning after the evacuation order was lifted to check out what the storm left behind.

"I'm thinking things look pretty good. It's just about what I expected of it," Harmon said.

Compared to the white caps we watched in the area Tuesday, Wednesday's calm waters were a stark contrast.

In fact, in the inlet, the water was flowing quickly away from land, likely carrying a lot of runoff from the last 24 hours or so.

Neighbors, like Douglas Purchase, said they're ready to move on.

"Really enjoying the weather and now it's over. We just have to have our prayers on (the) Bahamas and getting in there and trying to help them clean up," Purchase said. 

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