Wilbur-by-the-Sea man, 89, recalls riding through Hurricane Nicole at a beach house – WFTV

WILBUR-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — Not once since Jack Allaben, 89, and his wife bought their beachfront home in Wilbur-by-the-Sea in 1965 have they not been evacuated for a storm.

When they bought the house for a mere $1,000, he said it was teetering on the edge of the sand. So they brought rocks to reinforce it and have been enjoying their view of the ocean ever since.

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Allaben was luckier than some of his neighbors, who saw parts of their home fall into the ocean from combined seawall damage from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

“Ian did a lot of damage, but Nicole finished him off,” he said.

Read: Tropical Storm Nicole: Video shows interior of Wilbur-By-The-Sea home that collapsed into ocean

He said he and his neighbors would like to bring in more boulders to rebuild and reinforce the dunes again and hope they don’t have another storm anytime soon.

You can learn more about her story in the video above.

Photos: Wilbur-By-The-Sea homes damaged by Nicole

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