Whitney Plaza business owner recounts his Hurricane Helene experience

Gary Hagen always vowed to his regulars at Donuts By Design that he would always open his shop in Whitney Plaza no matter what.

Photo by Petra Rivera

So when the surge of Hurricane Helene headed to the Gulf Coast on Sept. 27, there was no question that Donuts By Design would be open when the town of Longboat Key issued an evacuation order.

“The funny thing was that people still came to get cheesecake that day when everyone was supposed to be gone,” said Hagen. “They always thank me for staying open during these days because everything else is closed.”

Hagen went on about his business as normal, serving homemade donuts, cheesecake, ice cream and more to those still on the island on Thursday. As the day went on, Hagen started to notice the dark clouds coming in, the wind picking up and the rain pounding on his windows.

After receiving a phone call from his sister telling him to come home, Hagen started closing his shop to see if he could beat the storm. But the next time he looked out the window, the street outside his shop was a river. 

Courtesy image

“It felt like I was on the Titanic,” said Hagen. “The water was starting to get into the shop and it got really hot because there was no power. When I was about to call the sheriff’s office, my phone died. I ended up staying the whole night because my car was also dead.”

On Friday morning, the only way Hagen could escape his flooded shop was on his own two feet. On Friday morning, he walked up Gulf of Mexico Drive over the Longboat Pass Bridge until he ran into policemen on the other side, who returned him home safely.

The following day, Hagen returned to his shop to find most of his equipment ruined. With the season around the corner, he finds himself overwhelmed with how to move forward.

“Mostly everyone in Whitney Plaza has about $20,000 to $30,000 of damage to their shops,” said Hagen. “I really don’t know if I will be able to stay or if I have to go and move to a new location.”