Hurricane season for a Flagler County second home you cannot reach

A storm does not have to land here

Flagler County has been spared many direct hits, but that does not mean storms leave it alone. A hurricane passing well offshore can push high surf onto the beaches, flood low streets near the Intracoastal Waterway and bring down limbs across Palm Coast and Bunnell. Matthew in 2016 stayed out at sea and still sent the ocean across A1A in Flagler Beach. In 2022, Ian crossed the state from the west and Nicole came ashore to the south, and both left their mark on this coast.

Tropical storms that never reach hurricane strength can still drop many inches of rain in a day, filling the swales along Palm Coast streets and the ditches along county roads in the west. Even an ordinary summer thunderstorm can bring down a pine limb. The point for an owner away is simple: the weather that matters is not only the storm with your town's name in the forecast.

That is why many owners plan the season around photos rather than headlines. The main site's hurricane season preparation guide for absentee owners lays out the steps owners take before June.

Before the season: a June baseline

The most useful photos of the year are often the ones taken before anything happens. A set in early June records how the house stands at the start of the season: the roof line and any loose trim, the shutters or panels if you have them, the trees and limbs nearest the walls, the fence, the drive and anything stored in the yard.

That June set becomes the picture every later set is held against. When a storm passes in September, you will not be relying on memory or an old listing photo to know whether a limb was already hanging over the garage. You will have a dated view from three months earlier.

For a coastal home in Flagler Beach or Beverly Beach, include the ocean side and the area under a raised house. For a canal home in Palm Coast, include the seawall and dock. For a wooded lot in the west, a drone video of the roof and the tree line is worth having. If you are not sure which kind of visit fits, the property photo FAQ on FlaglerPropertyWatch.com explains each one.

Before a named storm: while it is still days away

When a named storm starts to look like it might come near the Florida coast, the clock starts. Photos have to be taken while the roads are open and the storm is still several days out. Waiting until the day before risks evacuation orders, closed bridges and a coastline nobody should be on.

A before set shows the roof line, the windows and any shutters, the trees nearest the house, anything left in the yard or on a dock, and the drainage along the street. It turns "I think everything was fine" into a picture with a date and time on it. If you have a neighbor or a property manager putting up panels, the set also shows whether that happened.

Barrier island addresses in Flagler Beach, Beverly Beach and Marineland sit inside the county's evacuation zones, and orders there often come first. Plan for those addresses to need their photos earliest. You can see which towns sit on the island and which inland on the Flagler County service area page.

After the storm: once the roads reopen

The after set waits until the county lifts its orders and the roads are open again. On the barrier island that can take longer than on the mainland, because A1A itself may be buried in sand or closed while crews clear it. In the west, a downed tree across a county road can keep a lot out of reach for a day or two.

When the after set arrives, set the two dates side by side. Look at the roof line first, then the trees, then the fence and the yard. You can see what moved, what fell and what is missing from the yard. A photo shows what is visible; it does not explain why something changed, and it is not a substitute for a contractor who climbs a ladder. What it does is tell you whether to make that call at all, and how urgently.

For more on reading those first photos, see the main site's guide to what street photos show after a storm.

Who the photos help you call

Dated photos are most useful as a way to decide who to send and in what order. Owners far away often have a short list of people they rely on, and the pictures help them use that list well.

• A tree service, when a limb lies across the drive, the fence or the roof.
• A roofer, when shingles, tiles or metal panels look out of place from the street or the air.
• A lawn or cleanup crew, when debris carpets the yard or the swale.
• A pool company, when the water or the screen enclosure looks different from the before set.
• A neighbor or property manager, when something needs a hand on the spot.

Sending the before and after sets along with the request saves everyone time: the contractor knows what to expect, and you are not describing the property from memory. Photos are also handy for family members or co-owners who want to see the house for themselves. The guide to reading a delivered photo set explains how each set is labeled.

What changes by town during the season

Storm season looks different across the county. In Flagler Beach and Beverly Beach, the concerns are surf, sand and wind: A1A overwash, sand drifted against garage doors, loose railings and torn screens on the ocean side. In Marineland, the river side matters too, with water pushed up the Matanzas during a northeaster or a storm surge.

In Palm Coast, canal homes face high water along the seawall, while the wooded sections west of I-95 see limbs and pine needles everywhere. Swales along the streets fill and drain, and a photo from the street after a heavy rain shows clearly whether the water is moving. In Bunnell and the rural west, tall pines and big oaks are the main story: a single fallen tree can block a long drive or rest on a fence line far from the house.

Knowing your town's weak points tells you which view to ask for. The main site keeps a blog of guides for Flagler County property owners with more on each part of the county.

What a photo can and cannot tell you after a storm

A dated photo is a record of what was visible from where the photographer stood, at the moment the shutter clicked. That makes it very good at some things and silent on others, and knowing the difference keeps expectations honest.

A set of photos is very good at showing what is there and what is not: a limb on the roof, a fence panel on the ground, sand against the garage door, a missing section of soffit, a pool screen hanging loose, water standing in the swale. Set beside the June baseline or the before set, it shows plainly what changed between two dates.

A photo cannot tell you what is happening under the shingles, inside the walls or behind a closed door. It does not explain why something changed or how much a repair might involve. Those are questions for a roofer or a contractor who comes out and looks closely. What the photos do is tell you whether to make those calls, and which one to make first, before you spend a day traveling to see for yourself.

The main site's guide to what a street photo set shows, and what it does not goes into the limits of each view in more detail.

A season plan for owners away

Many owners settle on a simple rhythm that covers the whole season without much thought: one set early in June, one before and one after any storm that comes near, and one in late November once the season closes. Some add a monthly set from July through October, the busiest stretch.

A drone video once in the season is worth considering for any house whose roof you cannot see from the street, which includes most raised beach houses, most homes on big lots and anything set back behind trees. It shows the roof and the whole lot in a single pass, and it is easy to send to a roofer.

The point of a plan is that you are never caught without a recent picture. When a storm forms in September, you already have June's baseline, and all you need is the before set and the after set. To set up visits for the season, start at the Flagler County home watch page on FlaglerPropertyWatch.com.