CEDAR KEY, Fla. — Cleanup and rebuilding. That is what residents and business owners were busy doing on Thursday, the first full day they were allowed back on the island to look at the destruction Hurrican Idalia wrought on Tuesday.
Much of downtown was heavily damaged from the strong storm surge. While the water had subsided, the streets and sidewalks were caked with slick mud and the smell of the sea was overwhelming.
Amiee Firestien, whose family has owned Faraway Inn for almost two years, was still picking through the rubble of the cottages to see what could be saved. Her most popular cottages were beyond saving, due to their closeness to the ocean. One of the rentals was no longer standing. The patio where guests would sit to watch the sun set had been reduced to a concrete slab.
It was still too early to determine what the timeline would be for the Faraway Inn to be back up and running. Firestien hopes it could be before their busy season in the springtime.
"Cedar Key needs a lot support. We need a lot of help to rebuild. It's a great community here. They accepted us with open arms. They care about each other, they want to rebuild. They want it to be great again, They want people to be able to visit again. Whatever help we can get...It's going to be a lot. It's going to take a little bit of time," Firestien explained what her message to Governor Ron DeSantis would be.
Firestien also praised the level of preparedness Cedar Key officials made before the storm hit.
DeSantis and First Lady Casie DeSantis did visit the island on Thursday to survey the damage and talk with locals. They spoke with Laura Duncan, who owns Duncan's on the Gulf. Located right on the water, it was hollowed out and suffered structural damage. Despite the setback, Duncan told DeSantis she would like to rebuild on the same spot.
"It means a lot to us. It gives us a lot of comfort to know that he is part of what's going on and has been always supportive to his people in Florida. God bless him," Duncan told Townhall on what DeSantis' visit meant to her, also praising the initial response from FEMA and local authorities.
Her family was still figuring out what could be salvaged as the restaurant has a second floor.
Lamar Gore, a local contractor, was helping clean out his daughter's art store on 2nd Street. A lifelong resident of the area, Gore was grateful they were without power for only six hours after Hurricane Idalia made landfall.
"All the times that we've had even lesser storms than this. [Hurricane] Hermine wasn't quite as bad as this but...I live in Rosewood, so we were out of power for five days. They had power on the island before we had power there. After the [Idalia's] eye passed us, we had power within six hours. Unheard of," Gore said.
DeSantis announced on Thursday the linemen who had been staged ahead of Hurricane Idalia making landfall had restored power to almost half a million homes within 24 hours. Power has been restored to all but four counties: Taylor, Madison, Hamilton, and Lafayette. Most of the Florida National Guard has been demobilized, with their missions being completed. While the acute needs of the hardest hit areas are being met, the residents of the Big Bend region have a long road to make a full recovery.