STEINHATCHEE, Florida ‒ For almost twenty years, Scott Peters has dedicated himself to his Crabbie Dad’s bar, located just across from the Steinhatchee River along Florida’s Big Bend coast.

He has endured storms and floods, the fluctuations of tourism, the overall economic conditions and a variety of challenges brought by nature. Generally, hurricanes were manageable, and the locals would often celebrate them.

However, after Hurricane Hermine severely damaged Steinhatchee in 2016, the community began to approach hurricanes with more caution.

“We’re basically at sea level,” Peters remarked on Wednesday.

That was before Hurricane Helene struck, bringing a massive surge of water. The eye of Helene made landfall just a few miles away, causing catastrophic damage to Steinhatchee.

Peters’ bar appears to have suffered the most damage.

He weathered the storm in Gainesville, approximately 70 miles away, and has not yet returned home to inspect the damage.

His friends and neighbors have been sending him images and videos showing the state of the bar, though he fears the small bridge to his house might be gone, along with the house itself.

“It’s total devastation,” he expressed over the phone on Friday, as sheriff’s deputies restricted access to the town. “I have to start everything from scratch.”

Helene pushed a surge of water estimated at over 10 feet into the lowest areas of Steinhatchee, including right where the bar was located. The iconic sign is no longer visible, with only a few scattered dollar bills that once hung from the rafters remaining, fluttering in the wind.

The plywood panels that workers had made an effort to secure over the windows are also missing, along with the windows themselves and the cheerful peach-colored walls. What remains are the concrete stairs, a partial back patio, and a mostly collapsed tiled floor.

“This is overwhelming,” said local resident Jamie Lee as she surveyed the devastation. “I don’t think it has really sunk in yet.”

In the days leading up to the storm, Peters and his team took precautionary measures, moving beer coolers and liquor bottles out of harm’s way.

“The storm approached so quickly that we didn’t have time for a lot of prep,” Peters noted prior to the storm.

They managed to move anything small enough to pick up to safe ground, and Peters meticulously checked his insurance to ensure coverage from a named storm.

“We’re doing everything we can to secure things I can lift and also things I neglected to take out during the last storm,” he explained on Wednesday. “Every storm has to be taken seriously here because this area is so low-lying.”

On Friday, shocked residents moved through the muddy streets, some using golf carts and pickups as a Coast Guard helicopter flew overhead.

The storm surge left behind a thick layer of seagrass in low areas, while it also displaced docks and boats across Riverside Drive, leaving thick mud in many places.

“We found someone’s freezer in our yard,” stated Pamela Keen, 62, as she looked at the debris scattered on her deck, which included shrimp, green peppers, soda cans, and a tub of shucked oysters among the seagrass surrounding her front yard. Nearby, plates, beer cans, and a paring knife were strewn across the pavement.

Keen and her husband Gary had stayed in a motel a few miles inland during the storm, feeling fortunate to secure a last-minute room. However, she noted it was infested with roaches.

“I’m grateful we could find a room, even with the bugs”

“We certainly had plenty of company,” Keen chuckled, before giving her husband a kiss and reminding their grandchildren to be cautious of snakes.

As retired John Kujawski drove around town in a golf cart with his wife, he pointed out the damage that still remained from previous storms, including last summer’s Hurricane Idalia, which also hit Steinhatchee hard.

Kujawski, who has lived in the Naples area for a long time, had been visiting Steinhatchee for nearly two decades before they decided to relocate here permanently, attracted by the close-knit community and the charm of a small town.

As they carefully made their way down the uneven and muddy Riverside Drive, the couple highlighted the guest houses that had been destroyed, docks that had been tossed ashore, and boats that were overturned and wedged against pilings near the Sea Hag Marina.

They noted which newly installed roofs had been damaged again and expressed sadness over the destruction of the recently opened Vargo’s Buffalo Style Pizza restaurant.

“They probably made only about $200 in pizza sales,” lamented Kujawski. “This is heartbreaking.”

Meanwhile, Peters, hailing from Gainesville, was still reeling from the potential loss of his bar and possibly even his home. Engaging in scallop fishing, he hoped that this would suffice until he received insurance money and any potential government support.

He mentioned that he had previously turned down government assistance offers but is now open to accepting any help he can get.

He is planning on canceling his water and electricity services quickly to prevent incurring any more expenses while he considers his options.

“I’m ready to jump through all the hoops,” he stated. “I have to. I don’t want to incur a massive loss and sell a vacant property. I’m not one to give up easily, but it all hinges on the insurance.”

He added that if it takes him years to rebuild, adding elements back piece by piece as he gets the funds, that’s his plan.

“Over the years, I’ll keep making improvements when I can afford it,” he expressed. “At least I managed to save the liquor, although I currently have nowhere to store it.”