Officials and homeowners started on Saturday assessing the damage done to Flagler Beach by Hurricane Matthew.

  • A1A damaged by storm surge
  • Powerlines still down
  • Schools in Flagler County will remain closed Monday, Tuesday

Some residents got their first look at the destruction on Saturday. They said it's only the beginning of moving forward.

Homeowner Robert Hudson had some damage to the outside of his home in Surfside Estates, but he's thankful it's still standing.

Others were not so lucky. Across the neighborhood, wood, broken windows, and metal roofs lay on the ground and on the streets.

RELATED: Flagler County shelters consolidated to one at Bunnell Elementary

In addition, scenic Highway A1A remains closed. Strong waves and storm surge from Matthew took chunks of the road with it.

Beach resident David Walker, who waited out the storm at a hotel, said he watched it happen.

"The roads was slowly going -- an eighth of the carriage way was gone, and then the quarter of the carriage way was gone, and now virtually half of the southbound carriage way has disappeared," said Walker.

Wind gusts mangled some of the homes and ripped through some businesses. But homeowners were happy the damage was not as destructive as they imagined.

"It could've been a lot worse if that hurricane would've been inland just a little bit more, 75 mph instead of 150 mph I don't even think we'd be here," said Hudson.

RELATED: Flagler County residents allowed back home

Powerlines were still down in the area, along with some trees. But law enforcement said about 100 percent of the people in the surf side neighborhood evacuated, which they said no doubt saved lives.

The county administrator said it could be days before power is restored to this area because of all the damage. The Salvation Army is serving food to residents in need, and the Red Cross is helping people who have significant damage to their homes find a place to stay.

In addition, schools in Flagler will remain closed at least Monday and Tuesday due to damage. One of those schools, Bunnell Elementary, is still an open shelter for families and their pets.