A punishing combination of near record king tides, strong onshore winds and pounding surf carved away dunes and damaged beach access structures up and down Vero's barrier island last week, leaving stretches of shoreline from Wabasso Beach to Humiston Park badly battered.

Conditions did not improve over the weekend as waves of heavy rain caused widespread flooding on the island and mainland, inundating parks and roads and entering some buildings. Three inches of rain fell on Vero Beach on Sunday, followed by another three inches on Monday.

Also on Monday, Brightline trains stopped running between West Palm Beach and Orlando because of high water along the tracks north of Vero in Brevard County, Indian River County schools closed early and a polling place in Sebastian was relocated due to flooding.

At 2:30 p.m. Monday, the county declared a state of emergency. "Continued rainfall and flooding have rendered numerous roadways impassable, creating hazardous conditions for motorists and residents," the declaration states. Two hours later, the state followed suit, declaring an overlapping state of emergency in the seven counties, including Indian River, Brevard and St. Lucie.

"This was a significant erosion event," Quintin Bergman, Indian River County's coastal resource manager, said of the beach erosion. "The concern was not the king tide by itself, but the combination of elevated tides, persistent onshore winds, and wave energy acting on the shoreline for several days."

The beach at Treasure Shores Park on the northern stretch of the island was littered with timbers on Saturday and both beach access points at Wabasso Beach Park were closed, with shattered sections of railing hanging off the ramp that leads down to the sand.

Surging white water deluged the bottom section of the ramp and the beach access stairs at high tide. With waves as high as eight feet, a steady procession of surfers scrambled over 2x4s and orange netting that blocked the stairs and ramp to plunge into the turbulent water.

In Central Beach, the southern section of the Conn Beach boardwalk was undermined and closed, with washed out areas eating into the edge of Ocean Drive. Unstable stairs leading up to the boardwalk and from the boardwalk to the beach were blocked off by city workers.

At Sexton Plaza, there was no beach at high tide, with waves crashing against the sea wall and washing far up among the pilings that support the historic Ocean Grill restaurant.

County officials reported 15 to 20 feet of dune retreat at some beaches last week, resulting in sheer sand cliffs in place of sloping dunes.

For residents living along the oceanfront, the changes have been striking. "We walked the beach and ... there is very little beach to walk on," said Jill Hulsing, a Vero Beach resident with an oceanfront condominium near Humiston Park.

"I've worked at Ocean Grill since 1986," said Heather Sanders, gift shop manager at the historic restaurant overlooking Sexton Plaza. "The water keeps creeping closer, but we've weathered these events before, and people still love coming here to watch the ocean."

On Saturday, the railing overlooking the beach beside the Ocean Grill was lined with locals and tourists who had come to beach not to swim but to watch the awesome power of the ocean surging against the island.

Whether the event established any records remains unclear. Bergman said the county doesn't yet have the historical water-level data necessary to make that determination.

"Our next step is to document what changed and determine where the beach can recover naturally versus where some type of repair may be needed," Bergman said. "Some sand may move back toward the beach as conditions calm, but that will not rebuild an eroded dune. We need to understand the full beach profile and condition of the dune before deciding what restoration is necessary."

Neither the city nor the county has had time to estimate how much sand was lost, what repairs might cost or whether additional large-scale beach nourishment will be necessary.

King tides are caused by astronomical mechanics, when the gravitational pull of the moon, earth and sun align. The full moon that decorated Vero's sky last week was beautiful to look at, but it also contributed to the high water, helping pull the ocean ashore.

In Central Beach, the high tides and heavy rainfall, caused the Indian River Lagoon to overflow its banks in numerous locations on Monday, submerging boat ramps and flooding Riverside Park and MacWilliam Park, along with streets in Central Beach, Riomar and other neighborhoods.

Further north on island, rising water washed out several sections of The Historic Jungle Trail north of route 510, causing the county to close that 8-mile stretch of roadway indefinitely.

By Monday evening, more than 40 roads were closed countywide, including sections of U.S. 1, state route 60, 12th Street, 17th Street, 21st Street, Main Street and Roseland Road.

Staff writer Samantha Baita contributed to this report.