Dorian Ate My Beachcomber Article By Robyn Rosner
For any residents questioning why the City has not un-done other hurricane preparations made for Dorian, it would be safe to assume these preparations
will also remain in place for the remainder of hurricane season, such as the sun shades being taken down at the playgrounds, the back-up lift stations
that have been placed around the island, etc. Though the City monitors the weather closely during hurricane season and makes necessary preparations,
we are all just the same Tybee type folks that decided to live on a barrier island (and work really hard to protect it this time of year), but have no earthly
idea what is going to happen.
One thing to keep in mind is that when it is advised to monitor the weather closely this does not meant to watch The Weather Channel 24/7 (especially if you
see the clouds forming to the shape of the word ‘gullible’ written in the sky). The most up-to-date and official statements can be found from the National
Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov.
For those who have not already, there is also a text notification system you are able to join. Text “Join tybeeinfo” to 30890 to be included and outbound
TybeeInfo texts will come from 91972. On silent from 10pm to 7am, otherwise notifications will be sent for conditions, including Flood, Fog, Freeze, Frost,
High Surf, Hurricane, Wind, Rip Current, Severe Weather, and Tornado when there is an Advisory, Statement, Watch, or Warning. No silent period is enabled
for Emergency Messages, Immediate Evacuations, Tornado Warnings, and Hurricane Statements/Warnings. And most importantly, please do not eat your
hurricane snacks until after hurricane season!
Beach Access Information
Previously unprotected crossovers will remain covered for the remaining season. After discussions between representatives of DNR and DPW, and
in the interests of better protections should there be another hurricane during the season, the following changes will be made to the dune system until the
end of November:
• Gulick Street Crossing: Nothing will be done at this crossing. There is a wooden crossover at Gulick Street and the public should be accessing the beach
from that structure.
• 2nd Street, 3rd Street, and Center Crossings: A Mobi-mat will be placed over the jersey barrier that was installed at these locations. The public may
have to traverse the landward side of the dunes. The Mobi-mat will be on the seaward side of the jersey barrier in an area where the jersey barrier is still
covered with sand. This will keep the integrity of the man-made berms that were installed prior to the storm.
• Tybrisa Street Crossing: This crossing will be temporary closed. The steel traffic barriers will be installed from the drop off area in the traffic circle on the
north to approximately the first parking stall to the south. These barriers are intended to keep the general public off the dunes. A board will be placed across
the Tybrisa crossing to keep the public off the walkway. Signs and arrows directing pedestrian traffic will be installed on the steel traffic barriers stating that
ADA access to the beach will be available at the crossing in front of the Marine Science Center. Another sign directing the public to the 17th Street crossing
will also be installed. This closure is for the safety of the public due to the multiple sets of dunes that were placed to prevent potential flooding from Dorian.
• 18th Street and 19th Street Crossings: The public may walk over these new man made dunes, and repairs will be made as needed. The drop-offs from
the scour on the seaward side of these crossovers have been filled in.
We are going to monitor all the crossings, and once again meet with the DNR to decide if any changes need to be made from the above plan. Also, as part
of this plan, all snow fences that are presently in the water at high tide will be removed to avoid the possibility of it becoming storm debris.
Now to go see what this Humberto troublemaker is up to… take care and hope to see you around soon!
26 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | OCT 2019
/www.nhc.noaa.gov