MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Employees at The Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria are getting back into the swing of things after being closed since the day before Hurricane Helene passed by Florida.

“I was more devastated for the family and friends that are having to deal with this. It’s really hard, and I think a lot of us were more in shock,” said waitress Noel Burke.

Burke has been waitressing at the restaurant for more than six years, and finally got to begin taking orders again on Dec. 4.

The owner, Jason Suzor, says there was almost four feet of water in the restaurant, damaging nearly everything inside. He says recovery has been slow going, especially waiting for insurance money.

That’s when Suzor decided to take matters into his own hands — paying out of pocket for repairs to get the restaurant reopened.

“I did receive an advance, but that’s a small portion of the whole amount. The hardest part was, you know, we were out of business for about 75 days. And it was the employees — you know, we wanted to get back open for all of us, for all our sake,” he said.

To help ease the pain of not earning a paycheck during the closure, Burke launched a fundraiser.

She says it brought in more than $8,000, which she split with her co-workers to help with expenses while they were out of work.

“It means the world to me. I mean, like I said, this place is literally my second family. You know, if I’m not with my family or doing my church goes, I’m just here and hanging out with everyone,” she said.

It’s a family she’s proud to be a part of and a place she will always support through thick and thin.

Suzor says they are investing in some new equipment to be better prepared for the next storm and are expecting all the insurance money to come in at the beginning of the year.