Sun & Surf Beach Club partially reopens 9 days after tornado
Furniture and other loose items were collected and placed in one large room, where members searched for belongings that were blown around or damaged during the tornado.
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The Sun & Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach partially reopened Saturday morning, nine days after a tornado tore through the property.
Instead of spending the morning at the beach, members returned to begin the cleanup process and sort through what was left behind.
About 200 people were at the club when the tornado hit, according to club President Bill Baumert. About 40 cabanas were damaged, along with parts of several buildings.
Furniture and other loose items were collected and placed in one large room, where members searched for belongings that were blown around or damaged during the storm.
David Beaty, of Garden City, and his family left the club just 20 minutes before the tornado hit.
“We just had to get through all the rain getting home. Then we started getting texts there was a tornado that came through and all you could say is, ‘Thank God we left,’” Beaty said.
He said he was shocked when he returned and saw the damage.
“I looked up and most of the roof was gone, which I didn't expect. But it happened,” Beaty said.
Furniture and loose items were put into a room for members to look through and find.
Jim Madelmayer and his wife spent the morning looking for their patio furniture.
“We’re lucky we lost the front part of our roof. At the end of the day, it’s just a cabana. It has a lot of memories. Especially, for the folks that were born here 50 years ago,” Madelmayer said.
The Nassau County fire marshal says one person, a worker at the club, was injured when the tornado hit.
“You can't replace your kids, family or anyone. This stuff can be rebuilt and we will be back next year,” Beaty said.
Baumert says the priority now is getting members back into their cabanas and making the property usable again.
Baumert expects the club to be fully back to normal within three to four weeks.
“We'll make it. We'll get through it. We'll rebuild. These people will be back next summer, hopefully with a short memory of a terrible incident,” Baumert said.
The club will be open for Labor Day weekend but remain closed on weekdays.
A social media post by the club says it may potentially open for an additional weekend after Labor Day.
