In the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole, people are reflecting on how last week’s storm affected them. 

Right after Brevard residents received a hurricane warning alert Tuesday morning, public schools announced there would be no school on Wednesday and Thursday. 

College freshman Hadley Balser lives in Orange county and she said Nicole also caused her classes on Wednesday and Thursday to be canceled. 

“Even after the storm, the roads weren’t very active,” she said. “The school didn’t fully reopen their facilities until Saturday and Sunday.” 

Brevard resident Monica Hall said her office building was closed Wednesday through Thursday as well. 

“Our labs were shut down,” she said. “And several of my co-workers [lost] power.” 

Local Melbourne resident Anne Mitchell said she was concerned about Nicole given that the eye was projected to go over Palm Bay. 

“Our coast in Brevard County took a beating,” she said. “The beach erosion will take years to fix.” 

Balser said she compared the response of Hurricane Nicole to Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida a little over a month ago. 

“I wasn’t as worried about this hurricane as I was about Hurricane Ian,” she said. “[This time] I was with all of my stuff at school and I wasn’t worried about damage affecting it while I was home.” 

Mitchell said she thinks Ian impacted Nicole’s affects. 

“There were homes that already were affected by Ian that were then exacerbated by Nicole,” she said. 

Similarly, Hall said she believes Nicole’s impact on the beaches was greater due to Ian’s earlier damage. 

By Brennan Balser