A visit to the beach at the end of Pope Road Wednesday produced a shocker, five days after Hurricane Ian cleared out of our area.

The hurricane, while well offshore by the time it reached St. Augustine on its way north to the Carolinas, precipitated significant erosion to St. Augustine Beach immediately south of the Pier. Further south, in the stretch between the Oasis and Dondanville ramps, for example, there are signs the county has plowed and flattened the beach, but the loss of dunes is not nearly as significant as what can be seen at Pope Street.

The first thing to notice is the rock barrier where there once was a easy, graceful path to the beach (see just below). A beautiful piece of beach Eden gone.

A look to the left, north toward the pier, shows the extent of huge efforts that the county has been required to undertake: tons of boulders piled chock-a-block up against the shoreline to retain what is left of the dunes and waterfront property.

The top half of this stairway with the grayish color used to be the only visible section of this structure, sitting ignored above the sand, as a decorative reminder of a purpose in some bygone day. The lower half, now visible, appears to have emerged after its sandy grave was washed away during the storm. At mid-tide on this day, the last step seemed to serve as a diving platform.

Looking south (below) showcased most dramatically the loss of the beach. Ian sculpted out huge chunks of dune and carried them out to sea, leaving a stark “Cliffs of Dover” feel in their wake. Again, evidence of the rescue efforts using boulders to preserve what remains of the dunes.

More of the boulders used to save the remaining shoreline below.

In April, in a stroke of prescient timing, the federal government promised St. Johns County $37 million dollars for St. Augustine beach renewal. Contracts for that work, according to the St. Augustine Record, are due to be signed in December. It’s a project needed now more than ever.