*Updated to reflect flooding status in Cedar Key.
CEDAR KEY, FL (352today.com) – UPDATE, 8/5/2024: There’s just no way to hold back the water from a category 1 hurricane.
Cedar Key Fire Rescue posted multiple images in Monday’s early morning hours confirming the clam capital is once again underwater.
The owners of The Prickly Palm who were featured in this article updated customers with a post on Facebook Monday morning.
“We have seen some water, we are just waiting for the water to recede enough so that we can head back into the shop to assess our situation,” they wrote. “We prepared to see Idalia like conditions inside the shop. so all our equipment and merchandise is safe – thankfully!”
They told their followers to stay tuned for when they will reopen saying, “nothing will stop us.”
And, they confirmed the cafe’s cats are safe and dry!
ORIGINAL, 8/4/2024: The tourist destination of Cedar Key is usually bustling with foot traffic, people dining at restaurants, browsing in stores and artists’ cooperatives. But the activity was much more subdued on Sunday, Aug. 4, with the business district preparing for Tropical Storm Debby as she was making her way toward the island.
Emergency managers issued a mandatory evacuation for parts of Levy County on Saturday, but many business owners and members of the community needed more time to make the necessary preparations.
“We’re boarding up the windows and sealing them the best we can trying to prevent the water from going in, so we don’t have a repeat of what we had last year,” said Charles Plateroti. “We started working on this yesterday afternoon, and about 8:30 this morning we came back.”
As the skies became more overcast, the winds began to pick up and the ripples in the Gulf of Mexico became larger – all foreshadowing what’s still to come.
Hurricane Idalia’s ferocity and storm surge scarring can still be seen throughout the island. Idalia hit this community less than a year ago on August 30.
Hannah Healey and Beau Hoffmann own the Prickly Palm, a cafe that serves acai bowls, paninis, coffee concoctions, and fresh smoothies. The couple says business has rebounded nicely and they’re looking forward celebrating its third anniversary on August 18. But now they await Debby to rear her ugly head.
“Last year was the first major storm that the Prickly Palm has seen since we opened. Last year, we learned everything,” said Healey, who has lived in Cedar Key for eight years and was a high school science teacher before transitioning to entrepreneur. “It was quite the experience. We chose to load up all of our restaurant equipment and put it on a trailer, drive completely out of town, and then raise everything within the building. But it (the water) still came inside four and a half feet. So, we actually didn’t raise things high enough.”
Idalia’s wrath provided Healey and Hoffmann with invaluable experience, understanding what needed to be done for Debby.
“This year we worked with our Idalia waterline, and we put everything higher,” said Healey. “Hopefully, that’s not what happens. But better safe than sorry. We also learned what in our yard floats. We had some giant planters that made it two blocks. We had to have a forklift bring them back.”
Healey and Hoffmann’s story of resilience and resolve in the aftermath of Idalia is not unique. Collectively, the community known as the clam capital vowed to reopen in time for the annual Seafood Festival less than two months later, including holding the traditional parade down Dock Street.
“I got ready as soon as they said something was going on. Started preparing. Learned lessons from last year. Got stuff out of the store. Make sure you put everything up high, especially in Cedar Key, here on the island,” said Lynn Hummel. “It gets flooded really bad.”
Hummel is concerned about how Debby will impact Cedar Key’s clam industry.
Idalia wiped out a majority of commercial clam beds last year.
Cedar Key farmers supply fresh clams nationwide, contributing 120 million clams to the industry and supporting roughly 500 jobs in Cedar Key.
“You have your clammers. A lot of them have just planted millions and millions of clams, and this is coming in,” said Hummel. “They got hit real bad last year. It’s a little nerve wracking.”