Hurricane Irma Boat Casualties Approach 2K Mark

MIAMI, FL — While many Floridians have managed to put Hurricane Irma behind them, the boating community is still feeling ripple effects of the powerful storm. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that 1,968 vessels had been cleared from the state's waterways since the storm made landfall on Sept. 10 and officials continue to find new ones.

"Cleanup efforts and removal operations of displaced vessels are progressing throughout Florida waterways 11 weeks after Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys," the Coast Guard reported on Monday. The tally represents a combination of displaced vessels removed from Florida waterways by state and federal officials as well as private owners.

Approximately 170 representatives from state and federal agencies are involved in the effort under Emergency Support Function 10, or ESF-10. The group is made up of representatives of the Coast Guard, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Removal priority is based on potential environmental impact.

Petty Officer Second Class Robert Harclerode told Patch that the vast majority of vessels have been pulled from the Florida Keys. They are taken to various staging areas throughout Florida and the vessel owners are notified. Once notified, owners have 30 days to retrieve their vessel before it is destroyed.

"For this response we had approximately 2,600 targets and we have approximately 425 remaining," Harclerode said. "They are not commercial vessels. They are privately owned."

He said that the condition of each vessel varies based on where it was tied up when Irma struck.

"Basically every vessel that we encounter it's completely different depending on the location, depending on a bunch of different factors," Harclerode explained. "The condition would vary on a vessel-by-vessel basis."

In addition to being an eyesore, the empty boats also pose a threat to the environment.

"There's a couple different concerns," Harclerode said. "Number one, the vessels can have batteries or anything like oil or gasoline on board or household goods. So we want to remove those so they don't pose any kind of negative environmental hazard."

The floating obstacles also pose a navigational hazard for other boaters.

Vessel owners should hire a salvage company if they know where their vessel landed after the storm. Click here for best practices.

Owners of displaced vessels who can't afford to repair them, or if their vessels are beyond repair, may sign a waiver relinquishing ownership through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Contact FWC's Vessel Removal Hotline at 305-985-3744 for more information.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano