Tropical Storm Ida leaves a half million dollar damage bill for Destin Pointe

Although the former Cat-2 hurricane dwindled to a tropical storm by the time it made landfall, Ida caused about $500,000 in damage to Destin Pointe, according to owner association President Ron Johnston.

Johnston said all nine of the beachfront homes along Destin Pointe sustained major damage during Tropical Storm Ida, including crumbled foundations, destroyed garages and driveways and damaged utility lines. The decking, foundation and drainage system in the recently repaired beachfront pool house was also damaged. And the floor of the parking garage collapsed after wave action pulled sand from beneath the foundation.

When The Log visited Destin Pointe Thursday, Lands End Drive was completely covered with sand and debris.

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For photos of the cleanup at Destin Pointe, click here.

To read about Destin Pointe's brush with Hurricane Ike in 2008, click here.

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Amid the sound of heavy equipment working to remove the sand, one homeowner said that the entire street was transformed into a river that emptied into one of Destin Pointe’s pools during the storm.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” said J.J. Chambers, a member of the Destin Pointe homeowners association. “We’ve repaired one thing after another, and it’s all just washed away with each storm that hits.”

According to Chambers, Destin Pointe is so critically eroded that even five to ten mile per hour southeast winds can cause serious damage to homes along the beach. So storms that bypass Destin affect Destin Pointe. Chambers said he got a foot and a half of water through his Destin Pointe home, which is not beachfront, from Hurricane Katrina.

While the owner’s association is required to maintain a reserve fund to deal with the aftermath of natural disasters, Chambers said the repairs made after each storm that passes through are only Band-Aids. He said erosion on Destin Pointe is so bad at this point that it isn’t even possible to construct beach berms for protection, as there is no beach left on which to construct them.    

While Destin Pointe is cleaning up the sand and repairing damage to homes, Chambers said that putting any money into the pool house would be “insanity,” as the community has already repaired it three or four times in the wake of other storms. He said until Destin Pointe gets beach restoration, there is nothing the homeowners can do to safeguard their properties.

“We’ve never had any beach restoration down here, and until we do, we’ll just keep getting beat up by storm after storm,” Chambers said. “We have an area here that is a powerhouse of revenue for the city, and should be a showplace for the city. But the tourists come for the beaches, and when there’s no beach, they go elsewhere.”

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A COLLECTION OF COVERAGE
For photos of the cleanup at Destin Pointe, click here.

To see photos from Jetty East and Destin Pointe immediately after the storm, click here.

Find out how much rain Destin saw from Ida, click here.

Read The Log’s take on the situation, click here.

Read about what's next for Holiday Isle, click here.

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