When a hurricane hits or even passes by Florida, heavy rains, winds and some fallen foliage can be expected.
As cleanup efforts or post-hurricane beach walks commence, people may find some offbeat items that wash up as a result of the hurricane.
Check out these items that washed up on the Treasure Coast after a hurricane.
Sea mine exposed
Hurricane Erin was hundreds of miles from the coast of the Treasure Coast, but rough waves are believed to have uncovered parts of a WWII-era, or earlier, sea mine buried along the shoreline south of Vero Beach, officials said.
A military explosives removal team removed the parts on the afternoon of Aug. 20, said Indian River County sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Jaworski.
Native American burial ground
Hurricane Nicole in November 2022 exposed human remains on Chastain Beach that were determined to be of Native American origin. This isn’t a first for the area, with remains being unearthed in years prior.
Ancient remains were found in the same area in 2019, when Hurricane Dorian’s wind and waves eroded much of the coastline on the Treasure Coast. Beachgoers then also found bones unearthed near Chastain Beach.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused beach erosion that unearthed ancient Native American bones that were first exposed by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004, according to TCPalm archives.
Message in a bottle
In 1985, 10-year-old Troy Heller was vacationing in Vero Beach from Louisville, Kentucky, when he decided to throw a message in a Pepsi bottle out into the ocean. It washed up back on shore 37 years later in Sebastian, People reported.
Two teachers discovered it while picking up trash after Hurricane Nicole in 2022. They passed it off to the Carrmax family, who contacted Heller per his instructions in the 37-year-old letter. The family mailed the letter back to Heller to his home in Mount Washington, Kentucky, reported CBS affiliate WLKY.
Treasure found on the Treasure Coast
During Hurricane Ian, a father and son were out on Jensen Beach Park when the outer bands of the storm had been churning up ocean waves and bringing some stiff gusty winds. The father noticed an orange string washing up with the tide and when they approached it, it was a box.
The box was a mini treasure chest hidden on the beach by two people on vacation. A note inside said: “It was a great vacation and we left some treasures behind for you to enjoy.”
The fortune was $16.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Human remains, sea mines and more: See what hurricanes wash up on Treasure Coast beaches
Reporting by Gianna Montesano, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
