CEDAR KEY, Fla. — Many residents and business owners in Cedar Key spent Wednesday preparing their properties for an expected storm surge of 10-to-15 feet from Hurricane Helene.

What You Need To Know

  • Cedar Key is preparing for an expected storm surge of 10-15 feet from Hurricane Helene

  • A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for Cedar Key

  • The Prickly Palm owner removed everything from her business on Wednesday 

  • She says both Hurricanes Idalia and Debby flooded her business

“My gut says it’ll be worse than (Hurricane) Idalia,” said Hannah Healey, owner of The Prickly Palm. “It’s been a rough calendar year.” 

Helene would be the third hurricane to hit the area in the past year. Last month, Healey said Hurricane Debby sent 2 feet of storm surge into her business and last year Hurricane Idalia sent more than four feet. That’s why she decided to remove everything from The Prickly Palm, including the lower half of the cedar plank walls.

“We removed it to Hurricane Idalia height,” she said. “I’ve only seen Idalia or worse predictions and so we said ‘pull the wood to at least Idalia.’ If we go higher, we go higher, to be determined.” 

Cedar Key sits less than 10 feet above sea level in Levy County and was put under a mandatory evacuation order. The Prickly Pear is located a block from the Gulf of Mexico and Healey said is one of the lowest lying businesses on the island.

“We always get water. Last hurricane, the one last month… us and one other building, we’re like the only two that suffered really from that business wise,” she said. “The building, when you’re standing on the floor in there, is anywhere from 5-to-6 feet above the waterline.” 

Healey opened the business almost exactly three years ago. She said her home is packed with items from the coffee shop, along with two trailers, which have been parked on higher ground.

The business next door to The Prickly Palm also moved everything out. Healey said she hopes the Big Bend area has not become the new hurricane alley in Florida.

“I hope that this is not the new storm trend based off the current climate that we now live in,” she said. “I’m not even letting my head space get to that because I might cry.”