CEDAR KEY, Fla. (WSVN) — Residents of Cedar Key are feeling an unwelcome case of deja vu after Hurricane Debby caused flooding, a reminder of the devastation left by Hurricane Idalia a year ago.
“I saw a lot of people, in the last storm, lose so much,” said resident Tom Ezell.
Tom moved to Cedar Key from Arkansas two years ago. He said this is his second hurricane and expressed concern about the possibility of his home being flooded again.
In 2023, Hurricane Idalia flooded many homes and businesses in the tiny town and some have yet to fully recover.
Fortunately, this time, Tom’s family was prepared and managed to protect their home from significant damage by using sandbags and wooden planks.
“And we’ve sealed it in sandbags. I’ve learned a lot of lessons, quick,” said Tom.
7News cameras shows part of Tom’s home filled with sandbags and wooden planks as he said he wasn’t taking any chances.
Despite their preparations, they were still anxious about the potential for power outages and structural damage.
“We were just hoping the power wouldn’t go out. We were just waiting, hoping nothing would crush us or anything,” said Ella Ezell.
Other residents, like jewelry store owner Tami Wilkes, said the best way to describe how she felt is shaky.
“The winds were pretty high. The rain was coming in sideways, actually coming in through doors that you would never have it come through,” said Wilkes.
She, like many others in the area, reinforced her store with sandbags in an attempt to mitigate potential flood damage.
But for some, it wasn’t enough. One business had flood waters reaching into the entrance of the shop.
Video footage captured flooded streets with water levels making driving impossible.
Tom said many residents left the town ahead of the storm.
“This surge and this wind here, this will be the last of the rounds of it,” he said.
He returned to his gulfside home on Monday to see how his home fared. The dock outside of his home was flooded from the storm, but he is grateful it is still there.
“We have our family. We have everything. It’s just stuff but it still hurts to see the damage, you know?” Tom said. “Maybe, the coastlines are a hard place to live today.”
Tom is not the only one feeling that way. Another business owner, who spoke to 7News, said that a time may come when people are unable to live in some parts of Florida because of the frequency of the storms.
Although the residents expressed concerns about the future, they are determined to continue rebuilding and recovering from the recent storm damage.
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