TropicalStormIan tacked farther east than was forecast, sparing Jacksonville the buckets of rain that were predicted and heading off the worst-case coastal and inland storm surge. St. Augustine wasn't so lucky.
There were some nervous moments tracking the storm, Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser said, but the Beaches and Jacksonville got lucky.
By Friday morning, much of the water had receded. St. George Street and other downtown alleyways were covered in debris and several large trees were down, but the damage was less severe than St. Augustine had suffered in the recent past during hurricanes Irma and Matthew — or, at the very least, its residents had simply become more adaptable to the flood-prone nature of their city.
Nassau and St Johns County lifted their evacuation orders by Friday morning, but officials urged caution as they continue to assess damage.Across Jacksonville, from the coast to downtown, the sights and sounds were that of another near-miss: Wind-swept dunes, some beach erosion, debris in the streets and sporadic downed trees. But there was little sign floodwaters had made any significant impact on homes or businesses.
In Riverside, which saw intense flooding during Hurricane Irma in 2017, floodwaters were mostly contained to St. Johns Ave. Residents there said that was normal for even a big thunderstorm. National Weather Service forecasters said the St. Johns River will remain swollen with water for several more days, the result of higher-than-usual tides typical this time of year combined with rainfall across the region and strong northeast winds that have prevented the river from draining more efficiently during low tide.
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