As Hurricane Dorian approaches, past storms haunt downtown Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH -- A yellowish gray cloud cover hung over Beach Street early Tuesday morning as one of the early squalls of Hurricane Dorian moved in.

A blustery wind whipped up and down the riverfront corridor, tossing around dried out palm fronds that had already fallen. It was some of the only movement on the deserted street where businesses were already barricaded with plywood and shutters, and heaps of sandbags stood at the base of doors.

On the north end of Beach Street, no one was around the construction site where a new headquarters is being built for insurance broker Brown & Brown. Two huge cranes were laying on their sides on the ground near piles of pipes waiting for work to resume when the Category 3 storm passes.

One man quickly walked down the sidewalk past all the closed businesses, explaining he was trying to make his way over to Seabreeze Boulevard to pick up his retirement check at a bank there. A few people ventured outside only long enough to walk their dogs. A homeless woman wandering across Beach Street at International Speedway Boulevard stopped and looked toward the Halifax River, appearing to be unsure where to go.

A few joggers out for an early morning run were caught in the downpour when it blew in around 8:15 a.m. One of them was former City Commissioner Kelly White, who lives downtown in a concrete block condominium just west of Beach Street.

A lifelong Florida resident, White wasn't rattled by the approaching hurricane. She and her husband, downtown developer Jack White, had done everything already to secure their home and the four downtown properties they manage. If problems arise, they have contractors lined up to make repairs, she said.

"I used to leave when the girls were babies," White said, referring to her triplets who just celebrated their fourth birthdays.

This time she's hunkering down at home, and feeling philosophical about powerful Hurricane Dorian, which has left devastation in the Bahamas.

"This reminds you how little we are," White said. "We're not in charge."

White conceded her husband "is nervous." He's not the only downtown property owner feeling that way.

Fresh memories of what happened on Beach Street when Hurricane Irma roared into town in 2017, almost two years ago to the day, has riverfront business owners feeling uneasy.

They haven't forgotten the ferocious wind Irma brought in September 2017. Zappi's Italian Garden Restaurant owner Paul Zappitelli rode out the storm in a condo above his eatery and watched the destruction below unfold.

"The magic store and wig shop lost their roofs. I could see it as it was happening," Zappitelli said.

With his restaurant elevated above street level, Zappitelli said he escaped with no flooding. But the hurricane left an impression.

"I don't think I've ever been more scared," he said.

As Irma pummeled Daytona Beach, the Halifax River pushed out of its banks nearly to Ridgewood Avenue. Within hours most of the water receded, but the murky contents of the river that had seeped into Beach Street buildings lingered.

Some businesses were splashing around in a few inches of water. Glenda Doyle, owner of Salon 230, had close to a foot of water inside her salon and spa on Magnolia Avenue just west of Beach Street.

The cleanup was slow, messy, expensive work for businesses throughout the riverfront corridor. Some shops closed temporarily, and the combination of lost business and lost equipment delivered a financial gut punch.

Mayor Derrick Henry said he's concerned about Beach Street, but he added that people appear to have taken more precautions this time around.

"All we can do is hope for the best," Henry said Tuesday morning. "I don't want to see people get worn down by the fatigue of waiting for the hurricane to arrive. Continue with vigilance and remain safe."

Henry said "the city has done what we can do," in advance of the storm. He personally knocked on doors of people in mobile home parks to encourage them to evacuate.

City Manager Jim Chisholm is worried about what will happen on Beach Street at high tide. But as he drove around Tuesday morning looking to see what people had done to prepare, he was relieved to hear Dorian was expected to be about 100 miles out to sea when it passes Daytona Beach.

"Most people have heeded warnings," Chisholm said. "Flood-prone areas may get a little bit of water instead of a lot."

Police Chief Craig Capri said all city departments have been meeting multiple times per day to be ready for the storm.

"I don't anticipate anything the Daytona Beach Police Department can't handle in partnership with the city," Capri said.

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