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Storm-related death reported in Duval County connected to Nicole, State officials say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One storm-related death during Tropical Storm Nicole has been reported in Duval county, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The FDLE’s Medical Examiners Commission discovered 5 deaths at this time attributed to Tropical Storm Nicole. Four in Orange County and one in Duval County.

One man and woman were killed via electrocution when they touched a down powerline in the Orlando area, as reported by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The cause of the Duval County death has not yet been released. Action News Jax is working to learn more information.

Tropical Storm Niccole brought widespread flooding to Duval County in places such as San Marco, Riverside, Ken Knight Drive, and the coastal area.

In the aftermath, the backsides of about seven colorful houses along Highway A1A had disappeared.

Photos: Hurricane Nicole pummels Florida coastline

Schools and several businesses in Duval County also closed due to the storm, but no state of Emergency was declared.

One person was reportedly shocked by a live wire in St. Augustine Thursday when Nicole had its strongest effect on the local area. At this time it is reported the individual was still alive.

RELATED: ‘He had a good heartbeat’: Men help rescue man shocked in St. Augustine during Tropical Storm Nicole

The storm was the first November hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 37 years and only the third on record. It delivered another devastating blow just weeks after Ian came ashore on the Gulf Coast, killing more than 130 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Although Nicole’s winds died down after it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at about 3 a.m. Thursday near Vero Beach, its storm surge slammed into the shoreline in the neighboring barrier island communities of Wilbur-by-the-Sea and Daytona Beach Shores, sending some homes crashing into the ocean.

Although Nicole’s winds did minimal damage, its storm surge was more destructive than might have been in the past because seas are rising as the planet’s ice melts due to climate change, said Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer. It adds up to higher coastal flooding, flowing deeper inland, and what used to be once-in-a-century events will happen almost yearly in some places, he said.

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William Clayton

William Clayton, Action News Jax

Digital reporter and content creator for Action News Jax