Approximately three days after Hurricane Helene made its way through Cedar Key, local business owners and members of the community are looking for ways to move forward after losing their livelihoods.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen, it’s complete and utter devastation,” said Dennis Gill, 45, owner of Steamers Clam Bar & Grill and 2nd Street Café.
The effects of the hurricane come as a consecutive hit for Gill, part of whose restaurant was destroyed by a fire incident earlier this month. Gill, among many other business owners and residents, was seen cleaning up what used to be a buzzing business in the downtown area of the island.
Debris can be found all throughout the streets as people attempt to clear out and start rebuilding what’s left of the town following Hurricane Helene.
Businesses including hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and healthcare offices were deeply affected by the peak 84 mph winds and a historic 10 feet storm surge. Other industries like clam farming also took a direct hit caused by the change of current patterns and debris spewage.
“If you don’t have a product, you can’t sell, and if you can’t sell, you can’t pay people,” said Amy Anderson, 45, clam farmer and part of the family-owned business, Bryan Farms. “Death is the most common thing in situations like these. When we harvest, for at least a month or two, we’re definitely going to see more dead clams than live clams.”
Anderson got emotional as she recalled the unwavering support of the community around the island. She and her family were just arriving back after a morning of seafaring, looking for any viable clams left in the key.
Other local businesses, such as Cedar Key Healthcare, are providing service to the community regardless of the conditions of their establishment. According to her husband, Jeff Wilkes, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Tami Wilkes has been commuting through different parts of the island in order to provide healthcare to her patients.
“This is the only place you can get general healthcare on the island,” said Jeff Wilkes, 53. “From a triage standpoint, if it is something my wife can do and she has access to the resources she needs, she’ll take care of it.”
On the other side of the island, Helene completely swept off places like The Faraway Inn, where the tide reached roof level heights. According to residents of the area, the inn’s owners had just finished rebuilding their establishment following the 2023 destruction of Hurricane Idalia.
One of the few places left unscathed in comparison to the rest of the town was the Island Hotel Cedar Key.
“Previous hurricanes have gotten our shoes muddy, but this was certainly my worst one and I’ve been here for 35 years,” said Kimberly Cash, 56, who works as head chef of the hotel’s restaurant.
The owner, Andy Bair, 72, seemed optimistic about having the hotel back up and running in about a week, which would be an expeditious rebound compared to most businesses in the area.
“Our basement flooded, which it typically does, but that goes away. If we had some electricity and some running water, we’d be in business tomorrow,” he said.
Cedar Key Mayor Sue Colson, 80, has been working with multiple city officials in order to get the community back to its feet as soon as possible. “There's no jobs. There's no business. There's no market. There's nothing,” she said. Although she remarked how incredibly tough these past 48 to 72 hours have been to the people of the island, she emphasized how Cedar Key is at a “pivotal” point in its history.
“When we go back to putting things, we’re not going to be putting it back the way it was. It can’t,” she said. “It’s going to have to change, but it’s going to be better.”
Copyright 2024 WUFT 89.1
