TAMPA, Fla. — As Benjamin Iversen cleaned up the mud caked on the floor of his Cedar Key coffee shop, he said he’s trying to stay optimistic.
Even though he mounted his refrigerators on milk cartons before the storm, that wasn’t enough to protect them from the three feet of water that flooded inside 1842 Daily Grind.
“With each piece of equipment I keep testing, it turns out I’m going to be needing to replace it,” Iversen said. “But in some way, shape or form, this weekend we’ll be back open for coffee and for some breakfast and lunch.”
Iversen’s coffee shop is on 2nd Street, about two blocks from the water.
There are many homes and businesses on the street, which saw a lot of flooding during the storm. Iversen stayed put in Cedar Key to ride out the storm. He didn’t want to risk not being able to get back on the island to fix his shop, but also to help his neighbors get back on their feet.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Iversen said. “You see storms on the news and hear about these big hurricanes and stuff happening but living through it and experiencing one is just, it’s very humbling and also overwhelming.”
Even though Iversen has to replace a few refrigerators, he’s confident his business – and the whole island – will make it through the storm.
As residents return home to the damage Hurricane Idalia left behind, Iversen and his staff are welcoming them with free coffee, water and pastries – because that’s the Cedar Key way, Iversen said.
“Friends, the community, family – you just have to lean on that and trust that everything will be OK,” he said.
On Friday, FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance crews will begin going door-to-door in Cedar Key and Yankeetown to help register people for assistance programs.