Reports from Vero Beach

[Beth]

Forgive me if this has already been posted, but my sister just called me and said that our local Fox affiliate has reported that the Ocean Grill is gone...

 

[floridafam]

How sad.

My son saw the ocean for the first time right at the steps near the Ocean Grill.

It's not very far from one of our other favorite places.

How sad.

 

[Beth]

It really is...

I can only imagine that the Driftwood isn't faring much better.

I wish I could find more info, firsthand - but that's what she told me. She knew about us having points at Vero, and made a point to call and ask me if I had ever eaten there .... that she had just seen it on the news.

 

[floridafam]

Thanks so much for the news.

I just can't imagine the damage Vero is going to face.

 

[Beth]

I'm watching the live streaming video from wftv.com.

The meteorologist there just indicated that the Vero Beach/Wabasso area appears to be the area that is going to get the most damaging, sustained winds - as they are in the northern edge of the eyewall. They will not likely get any break from the eye - it will pass just south of them.

They're presently at low tide, but are still experiencing 17-20 foot surges.

They expect this weather to last 6-8 hours.

Folks - this isn't good.

 

[PamOKW]

I saw the local NBC NY reporter at 11:00 p.m. I agree that it doesn't look good. The Indian River looks like the ocean. The power is out and he reported seeing exploding transformers this evening lighting up the sky like daylight. And the worst is yet to come..... This reporter said that 90% of the residents had evacuated. The only good news that may come out of this is that people took it seriously and got out of harms way. Rebuilding can be done -- lost lives can't be gotten back.

That member who complained about Vero not actually being oceanfront may soon find the beach cottages located in the ocean.

 

[LisaSt]

Wow hopefully Vero can hold up to it my inlaws are supposed to be visiting there in a bit over a month now. They own at Vero and it would suck if they couldn't go but I hope everyone down there is safe and well.

 

[Beth]

LisaSt - we had reservations to be there right now...

We were to check into an Inn Room Friday night, check out tomorrow, and check into a Beach cottage until Tuesday.

I just can't believe it...

When MS called me Thursday to tell me my reservations were cancelled, I told her "...that I would still like to come over Sunday if the storm were to turn."

Oh well.

 

[Patty3]

Thanks for the updates. My thoughts and prayers go out to those folks in Florida, they have been through some rough times recently.

 

[Mouse Ears]

We have reservations at the end of September at Vero Beach. I am really hoping that the damage is not too extensive since this is supposed to be our first trip.

I am glad to hear that the locals have taken this storm seriously. It looks like evacuation was the right choice.

 

[MarkRG]

For those of us who may not be too familiar with Vero(such as myself, even though we own there), Ocean Grill is a nearby restaurant that was built on a dune right on the ocean. http://www.ocean-grill.com/

Vero Beach Resort is behind a huge berm and built on the cement parking garage.

Not to minimize the disaster of the whole situation, it is horrible, the resort is built a good deal better, however.

 

[stacy6552]

They told us at HH this summer that they could be back up and running suprisingly fast after a hurricane. I wonder if VB is the same.

 

[kathleena]

Thanks for explaining what Ocean Grille is.

To everyone who owns at VB - hoping for the best for you!

 

[floridafam]

I agree, the Ocean Grill was far worse off than the resort would be.

Hopefully, the resort didn't suffer too much damage.

I've been checking www.tcpalm.com but they don't have any recent damage updates.

The news out of Florida this morning does sound better than I expected. They said there aren't many injuries and that most people are safe.

 

[LisaSt]

Structures can be repaired lives can't be replaced so as long as the human casualties are very low that is all that really matters. Trips ca be re scheduled.

 

[PamOKW]

We can't really know until the storm subsides and the damage can be really assessed. I remember the Today Show reporter who looked out the door of the station in Miami and said "it doesn't look like much of anything. The storm did not live up to expectations. There are just some limbs down and rain." That was the first report on Andrew's damage. Needless to say, a little too optimistic on the reporter's part.

Loss of life will hopefully be minmal because so many evacuated. This morning I've seen several incidents where they are concerned about fires caused by the exploding power lines and transformers. They had one structure (couldn't tell if it was a house or other) that was burned in Melbourne.

 

[PamOKW]

Here's another web cam that is frozen at yesterday morning's pictures. Jensen Beach is south of Vero and north of Stuart (where the hurricane came in). Note that the forecast info is current. Winds gusts are still averaging 85 mph at 11:00 a.m. EDT Sunday.

Jensen Beach Lifeguard

 

[floridafam]

FOX News just reported from Vero Beach that the Ranchland Mobile Home Park on SR 60 is heavily damaged and also a truck stop on that same road.

Also, the Howard Johnson's on SR 60 is damaged.

Does anyone know where these are? They seem quite a ways inland.

 

[Beth]

There's very little west of I-95 on Hwy 60 - just the outlet mall, then it pretty much stops for quite some ways.

They say that the eye is over Yeehaw Junction right now.

I know there are several service stations right there at the I-95/Hwy 60 junction - maybe that truck stop is there? Doesn't seem like it would be in Vero, proper, but I don't know. It could be around 60 and US1.

I bet it's this HoJo:

http://www.hojo.com/HowardJohnson/control/Booking/map?pid=01533&brandInfo=HJ&MQZoom=5

It's near that commercial area where 60 dead ends into A1A - around the Ocean Grille.

 

[floridafam]

I think the apartment complex we are moving to is near 60.

I know it is by the mall.

The reporter said they were going to try and make their way to the coast as soon as authorities would let them cross on to the island. Maybe they will be able to show something in the area.