CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — With the floodwater from two recent hurricanes still fresh in everyone’s minds, both residents and business owners in Crystal River are preparing for would could be a significant storm surge.

As of Wednesday morning, storm surge is predicted to reach between 6-10 feet in Citrus County.

Residents living in Zone A are under a mandatory evacuation order and are being asked to leave the area by 2 p.m. Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Much of downtown Crystal River is under a manditory evacuation

  • Businesses flooded during Hurricane Idalia are bracing for storm surge

  • As of Wednesday morning, storm surge is predicted to reach between 6-10 feet 

  • MORE on the Latest from our weather experts

In the heart of Crystal River, restaurants and businesses are heeding the warnings and doing their best to board up and add sandbags to help keep the floodwater out.

Morgan Sundberg, owner of Kane’s Cattle Co, is fearing a repeat situation of what happened to her steakhouse during Hurricane Idalia in 2023.

“If we see 10-15 feet of surge…that’s something this area has never seen before,” she said.

Despite having reinforced doors and flood panels, 2 feet of water inundated her restaurant during Hurricane Idalia. Sundberg had to replace all of her equipment and pull out four feet of the interior wall just to dry everything out. They were closed for 3 months and still haven’t recovered finacially.

“We have flood panels we’ll be installing and we have sandbags and plastic and we’re just doing as much as we can,” she said. “We know 7 1/2 feet made it in here and we’re looking at a substantial increase to that surge, and still expect the unexpected. We’re going to do as much as we can to prepare.”

Emergency officials are asking residents to take the evacuation notice seriously, as rescue crews can’t always get to people in need at the height of a hurricane.