Hurricane Dennis Ripped Through Florida´s Pensacola Beach, Panama City

Residents of the Florida Panhandle today begin to assess the havoc wrought by Hurricane Dennis, which cut across the storm-prone area Sunday, scouring beaches, flooding homes and sweeping away roofs.

Power lines were downed along Pensacola Beach, and some businesses and homes had their roofs blown away. Initial estimates late Sunday, however, put damage far below that caused by Ivan.

A drive at sundown along Panama City Beach, about 100 miles east of Pensacola, showed minimal structural damage. But there was major beach erosion in areas that were in the midst of a multi-million-dollar effort to rebuild the fragile shoreline, much of which was eroded by Ivan last September.

The 30-foot-high sand dunes at Seagrove and Seaside, however, were badly eroded. The huge waves and storm surge ate away 15 feet of the dune line, already eroded by Ivan and Tropical Storm Arlene last month.

Tourists who come to the area in the next few weeks can look out over the water, but there´s no way to get down to the beaches from the high dunes.

"This is an immediate problem for tourism," said Tony Laramore, 45, as he viewed the damage along Seagrove Beach in Walton County. "But it´s not a long-term problem. Tourists always come back here."

The galleon-shaped Treasure Ship Restaurant on Thomas Drive along Panama City Beach was heavily damaged, reportedly by a water spout spawned by the storm.

Officials were just beginning to assess the damages as night approached, but the Panama City area had apparently escaped the worst of the storm.