- October 8, 2024
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On Oct. 7, many businesses in Siesta Key Village had yet to reopen following the devastation wrought by the storm surge of Hurricane Helene.
Piles of discarded materials could be found on the roadsides, as workers continued to add to them.
Yet with the approaching Hurricane Milton, there was new cause for concern.
Business owners began to feel a new sense of fatigue as they undertook many of the preparations they had taken just two weeks earlier.
"Three storms in one summer. Hopefully we can get a couple years off after this," said Marc Grimaud, owner of Cafe Gabbiano. "This is just getting ridiculous."
Some businesses had only recently reopened before receiving the news of Milton's approach.
Morton's Siesta Market had made a substantial recovery, despite some blown compressors.
"We got cleaned up real fast," said owner Todd Morton on Oct. 5. "We're able to partially get open, and now we're going close it again tomorrow to get ready for the next one."
When Thierry Raynal reopened Bonjour French Cafe on Oct. 6, he found a hopeful result, with about 20 people coming by the area just to support the restaurant.
However, it was the next day that he received the news that he would have to close the doors and shutter the windows.
He describes the experience as "exasperating."
He said the restaurant being closed has resulted in the loss of many employees in immediate need of an income, while at the same time, the season has been difficult for many area businesses.
"All of the business have a very low cash flow, because the season was hard, and now we have to fix everything and to pay for everything," he said, also noting the cost of special insurance for storms.
He said it's the first time he will be dealing with two storms at the same time, noting the discard piles that could still be found throughout the streets on Oct. 7, and the threat of resultant debris.
He said by that time, he had anticipated the removal of the debris, noting that although some had been picked up from the front of the restaurant, others had remained on the road behind it.
Some businesses were still in the midst of repairs. Since Helene, work had been underway at The Hub Baja Grill.
"It's a little disheartening, but right now, we're just trying to minimize any further damage," said manager Jacque Slayton.
However, she said management did learn some lessons from Helene.
"Knowing the way the water came in, I think moving forward we would definitely plan a little differently in securing the buildings, especially The Hub being street level," she said.
The restaurant is owned by Above the Bar Hospitality Group, which also owns several other area restaurants.
She noted the team plans to use Flex Tape on doors, and to secure outdoor objects more thoroughly. She said they have sandbags placed, and more on the way, and have tried to remove as many of the materials from the streets as possible to avoid creating other issues.
"It's very mentally taxing. We just do the best we can. And when we look at it, it's property, it's things that can be replaced. So we just want everybody to stay safe," she said.
Cafe Gabbiano, which is elevated slightly above the ground, fared relatively well during Helene with little flood impacts, but even so, Grimaud was concerned for Milton.
"Every storm is different, and it just seems like every one gets a little worse," he said. "So we're preparing and just kind of seeing how it goes."
He said while normally the team would board up 48 hours before a storm, preparations were underway earlier, as the evacuation of Siesta Key had already been announced.
He finds it concerning that shortages of supplies are making the preparations difficult.
"Sandbags have been hard to hard to get, so I don't know that we'll be sandbagging, but I'm going to move everything inside that could blow around and potentially damage anything and do what we can with what we've got," he said.
In the same elevated plaza, Rick Lizotte and his son Todd Lizotte, owners of Comfort Shoes Siesta Key since 1987, are also not taking the storm lightly.
"I think this is one they've been worried about here for the last 100 years," said Todd Lizotte.
However, like Grimaud, they're also finding themselves short on materials. They are currently in need of plywood, tape and sandbags.
"We're really nervous about this one, and that's what we're trying to figure out, because there's a lot of stuff you can't get right now," said Rick Lizotte.
Their only option is to remove as many products as they can from the store.
"Our inventory is peaked for the holidays, so it's high, high inventory," Rick Lizotte said.
However, they anticipate serious impacts afterwards.
"We're going to need help from the locals, but they're all going to be busy cleaning up their own mess," Rick Lizotte said.
Although owners are not sure what to expect, they're putting their hopes in the idea that this will be the last storm to befall Siesta Key this hurricane season.
"I'm ready to not be stressed out for a little bit," said Caitlin Bray, manager at Olaf's Siesta Village. "It's been a lot."
