DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — Some Daytona Beach Shores structures have been deemed safe for residents to re-enter after Hurricane Nicole, while many buildings are still being evaluated.

As of Sunday, the following buildings have been deemed safe: Castaways Beach Resort, Towers Grande, Curran Shores South and Twin Towers North and South of Daytona Beach Shores.

“I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes, but this is the worst two I’ve ever been in,” said Ellis Durham.

Durham has called the Castaways his home for more than 20 years.

The Army veteran and longtime Floridian has withstood plenty of hurricanes in the building.

This, however, was the first time he has had to evacuate because of a storm.

“It’s really been bad for the people in here because we got people in here that can’t walk. They had to carry them down the steps to evacuate the building,” Durham explained.

The Castaways was one of more than 20 structures deemed unsafe to live in after Nicole. Residents were allowed to return Sunday morning after further evaluation.

Safety officials are urging residents to stay out of other properties deemed unsafe while they get evaluated.

According to the public works director for Daytona Beach Shores, the push for keeping the buildings vacant is due to the risk of an imminent collapse.

“We want our residents back in their homes. We understand that this is inconvenient, but the inconvenience is far outweighed by the danger,” said Chief Michael Fowler.

Fowler says each of the buildings needs an independent structural engineer to come in and provide a report on the structure’s safety.

Once that report is finished, the chief building official in the city will then determine whether it’s safe for residents to return.

Until that moment arrives, first responders must stay away from buildings that could threaten their safety.

“Our public safety officers want to help the public; that’s why they do this. But we can’t unnecessarily put their lives at risk when we know that these dangers exist,” Fowler said.

In all of his years serving the community, the public works director says he has never seen a storm create this much damage to the coast in Daytona Beach Shores.

The current assessment for damage in the city is $370 million.

That’s about three-fourths of the total assessment in Volusia County.