Damage, streets heavily flooded in historic St. Augustine in Matthew's wake

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Dozens of residents in St. Augustine who evacuated before Hurricane Matthew moved along Florida’s east coast came back to devastation.

"I'm shocked that so many cherished places are going to be closed or out of business,” said paramedic and resident Joe Romani.

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The historic streets were flooded, closing neighborhood roads.

Even though St. Augustine is a tourist favorite, it’s a small, quaint city where neighbors help one another.

“I expect our place to be OK, and working hard to help others that have been affected-- cutting trees, clearing debris, etc.,” said resident Sean Lewis. “The one thing I'm good at is hard work. I hope to offer sweat and blood to help those who can't do it themselves.”

Many residents like Romani said seeing their beautiful hometown in distress is upsetting.

“I am sad to see my hometown in such a state when I can't do anything about it now,” said Romani.

Some residents said they were shocked that many people decided to ride out the storm.

“I wish people would have evacuated,” Romani said. “With my job, I know how flippant people can be about risk, and the initial reports were even scarier. I would hate for people who stayed to then risk emergency services personnel by calling for help.”

The video below shows floodwaters stranding hotel guests in St. Augustine.

Cox Media Group