“It’s like a nuclear bomb went off.”
That’s how Denise Faires described Cedar Key after Hurricane Helene ravished the small island.
She and other residents devastated by the impacts of the hurricane are rallying to sort through what’s left of their homes whileleaning on their community to recover and rebuild.
The hurricane, which made landfall Thursday night, blasted Cedar Key with 84 mph peak winds and a 10-foot storm surge, leaving the island an eerie resemblance of a ghost town.
Levy County on Tuesday issued a mandatory evacuation for its coastal communities. The island opened to permitted residents late Friday afternoon, and many of them are seeing the damage for the first time.
Faires, 61, said she lost everything. With so many people suffering, she’s not optimistic about Cedar Key’s future, she said.
“My house is gone,” she said. “There are lives destroyed here, and they will never recover.”
Still, she said it’s the support of the community that keeps her coming back. Many residents could be found handing out food and water, helping their neighbors shovel debris and aiding in salvation efforts.
“We’re not leaving,” Faires said. “We love this town, and we love the people that are in this town.”
Cedar Key Mayor Sue Colson said current hurricane relief plans are focused on addressing the damage to the water, sewer and electrical systems which have left residents without running water, bathrooms and power.
“Our island is destroyed,” Colson said. “You can’t fix these things in 24 hours. People need to take a breath, love each other and understand it is frustrating… but we are trying our very, very best.”
Despite the devastation, Colson said other places in Florida like Steinhatchee and Horseshoe Beach are worse off.
“We are fortunate that we have what we have left,” she said.
Sitting among a heap of wooden planks, a fallen front door and an overturned fridge, resident Jim Wilcox said he shared the mayor’s feelings of gratitude.
“This town is so loved,” he said. “We’ll be OK.”
Wilcox has owned his home for 18 years and has experienced three hurricanes within the last 18 months.
Helene was by far the worst, he said, but it has shown him how resilient the community is.
“The people of Cedar Key are survivors,” he said. “It’ll be hard. It’s sad, but they’re going to impress the daylights out of you as they rally together.”
Patrick Grady, 62, was one such impressed resident. Zipping around the island on an electric scooter, he said he was amazed by the community’s steadfast support for one another.
“[People] will tend to work more for their neighbors to help them out than they will themselves,” he said. “It’s incredible. That’s what life’s about.”
Last August, Hurricane Idalia caused extensive damage to Cedar Key’s businesses and residential streets, holding the island’s previous record for the highest storm surge of nearly seven feet, according to NPR. Many people said they were still recovering from Idalia’s effects when they were slammed with another storm.
Urgent preparation measures were largely unsuccessful, but several properties remain intact.
Mary Peterson, a resident of Cedar Key for four years, was one of the lucky ones. She’s still living in her house, waiting for the power to return.
Like most Cedar Key residents, she said stronger and more frequent hurricanes are not a deterrent, and she would never leave the island.
“The joy of living on such a beautiful island, you’re going to have to pay the price sometimes,” she said. “It’s worth the risk for me.”
Residents said it’s unclear how long the rebuilding process will take. Some estimated it would be several weeks before the island is back up and running, and complete restoration of the tourist destination could take years.
But even among utter destruction and loss, there are glimpses of hope.
Buck Rogers, 63,stood in the skeleton of his house, his furniture replaced by fragments of concrete, exposed wires and debris.
He bent down and picked up an object, then triumphantly held it in the air.
“It made it!” he said, handing his wife Linda a small statue of Santa Claus, unscathed.
