New Smyrna Beach authorities tonight asked residents to evacuate apartment buildings deemed unsafe due to seawall erosion.
“The beach-facing Las Brisas condo complex (3001 Hill Street) is now deemed unsafe by the NSB Building Department due to erosion of the seawall. Residents are urged to evacuate. NSBPD is currently on-site to assist,” Xinshi said Mana police said in a Facebook post.
CNN has contacted New Smyrna Beach officials for more details.
City officials later said they identified at least two structures now considered unsafe as Hurricane Nicole approached Florida’s east coast.
“The City of New Smyrna Beach’s Chief Building Officer believes that the two east-facing waterfront buildings at the Las Brisas Apartments, 3001 Hill St., are unsafe due to the dunes scouring less than 10 feet from the buildings,” the city said. said Wednesday night in a press release.
The city went on to say: “New Smyrna Beach Police Department officers arrived at the scene at 5:45 p.m. to notify residents and assist them in evacuating the premises, which is safest.”
The city also issued a curfew that will be in effect until 7 a.m. ET. City officials will close the North Dike and South Dike bridges at 8 p.m. ET.
New Smyrna Beach is located in Volusia County, approximately 11 miles south of the coast of Daytona Beach.
Officials said other structures in Florida were at risk of collapse as Hurricane Nicole approached.
In the Daytona Beach Shores, authorities said Wednesday at least six buildings were considered at risk of structural collapse. Five people were previously evacuated because of the risk of collapse, said Michael Fowler, director of Coastal Public Safety in Daytona Beach.