Coastal residents prepare for heavy rain and high surf this week

Coastal residents prepare for heavy rain

In Wilbur-by-the-Sea, houses still dangle on the edge. You can see remnants of a pool, fallen roofs and walls. The only thing protecting some of the homes from more erosion is a line of large sandbags.

WILBUR-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. - In Wilbur-by-the-Sea, houses still dangle on the edge. You can see remnants of a pool, fallen roofs and walls. The only thing protecting some of the homes from more erosion is a line of large sandbags.

People who live there say big storms can still bring water over the top of them.

"Many portions of this building have continually fallen down, so anytime the water comes up and sand gets pulled out from under because you don’t have an actual wall, it pulls it from under everything," said Krista Goodrich, who manages several properties. "That just erodes further, further and further."

With heavy rain and high surf in the forecast this week, people also worry about homes on the intercoastal and further inland.

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"The stormwater doesn’t go anywhere," said Dennis Carlson. "Once the river gets to a certain level, then the backflow is closed to prevent the water from coming in."

Carlson lives between the ocean and the intercostal and has built up his yard hoping it keeps water away.

People with the worst damage on the coast are surprised it has taken so long to get homes fixed.

They say it's been challenging dealing with government agencies and contractors to get a permanent seawall.

"When this is what vacationers see on the beach, it makes it difficult to attract them to our area, so it’s having a major economic impact on all of us," Goodrich said.