Volusia County beach ramps, driving zones to re-open Friday

Volusia County beaches have been flying the double red flag since Hurricane Matthew struck, and that means the water has been closed to the public.  But this time, it’s not just because of choppy water.

“Right now, we’ve been flying it since Hurricane Matthew because of the debris in the water,” said Capt. Tammy Marris, with Volusia County Beach Patrol.

Piles of debris sit all along the shore, which is why beach patrol say it’s not safe to swim or surf.

“Some of this debris can be as large as trees and other construction materials, and if you’re surfing or swimming in the ocean and you get hit by one of these pieces of debris that’s very large, it can cause severe injury,” Marris said.

Beach driving has also been suspended while crews work hard to gather the debris in small piles as they prepare to re-open parts of the beach to the public tomorrow.

It’s not just the debris that beach patrol officials are worried about, there’s also damage to walkways to the beach that were destroyed during the storm

“If you do come to the beach the next few days always pay attention to those beach condition flags," Marris  said.