As peak hurricane season arrives, abandoned boats pose a growing threat to safety and storm prep.

As hurricane season intensifies, state officials are accelerating the removal of abandoned and derelict boats from waterways. These vessels, left behind after storms or due to neglect, can cause environmental damage, threaten marine life, and pose hazards to navigation and public safety. 

Programs such as Florida's derelict vessel initiative and voluntary turn-in options are helping to address the issue, but the problem persists across hurricane-prone states. Efforts in Texas and North Carolina highlight the regional scale of the challenge, with hundreds of vessels already removed to support storm preparedness and coastal resilience.

All hands on deck: Abandoned boats & hurricane season

From sunken hulls to storm-tossed vessels, derelict boats stow away hidden hazards, and with hurricane season peaking, state officials are racing to remove what's already out there. If it sinks, it's going to cause environmental hazards. It can be a threat to seagrass, it can be a threat to marine life, obviously a threat to navigation and general public safety, especially after a storm comes through. In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, hundreds of boats were damaged, displaced or abandoned, left in marinas, mangroves, even backyard canals. Now the sailboat you see over my shoulder is about 40 feet long. A boat that size is really expensive to haul out of these waters. It can cost up to $25,000. Florida's derelict vessel program runs year-round, clearing out existing wrecks and preventing new ones. With programs like VTIP, which lets eligible boaters voluntarily turn in vessels for free. All they have to do is keep the boat in at-risk condition or better, and the state will remove it and dispose of it at no cost to them. But this is a growing problem across hurricane-prone states. In Texas, police fast-track removals after finding boats scattered across town. North Carolina has removed over 400 derelict vessels since 2018. From Texas to North Carolina, officials across the region agree they're not just eyesores, they're obstacles to storm prep, recovery and coastal resilience. For AccuWeather, I'm Leslie Hudson reporting.

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