Hurricane Idalia Decimates Island: 'Didn't Think We'd Make It Through'

In the 25 years that Deb Soldatos has owned buildings in Florida's Cedar Key islands, she's never seen a storm as destructive as Hurricane Idalia.

Idalia quickly strengthened in the warm Gulf of Mexico water as it moved past Cuba on Tuesday. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane at about 7:45 a.m. near the Keaton Beach community in Taylor County, about 75 miles southeast of Tallahassee. It has since been downgraded to a Category 1 as it moves through the state toward Georgia.

A devastating storm surge and extreme flooding severely damaged Cedar Key, an island community off the state's northwest coast. On her island, Soldatos owns several buildings on Dock Street, a collection of shops and restaurants overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Soldatos has lived in Florida for 48 years, always on the Gulf Coast between Clearwater and Cedar Key. She said Idalia was the worst storm she's ever experienced.

"I didn't think we were going to make it through this one," she told Newsweek.

Soldatos and her family were forced to evacuate two days ago in advance of the storm, and she was heartbroken when she saw photos of the damage.

"We are just scared. All those buildings that you see, we support our entire community," she said. "We are all mom-and-pops, so if we don't get back up and running, there's families that rely on that."

There's no flood or wind insurance available for the buildings built over the water in Cedar Key because several insurance agencies have pulled out of Florida, citing the increased risk from hurricanes. Soldatos said the repairs on her island are paid for out of pocket by the business owners and residents. She said the residents relied on each other for help when Hurricane Hermine hit as a Category 1 storm in 2016.

Despite the devastating outcome of Idalia, Soldatos is grateful that the storm changed its path. The storm was originally forecast to hit Cedar Key directly. Instead, it landed in Keaton Beach, which is approximately 80 miles up the coast from Cedar Key.

Photos circulating on the Cedar Key Dock Street Facebook page show water lapping against buildings and rushing into businesses.

One of the most dangerous aspects of the storm is the storm surge, or the rise in sea level that occurs during a hurricane. Soldatos said that a supermoon will occur on Wednesday night, which is when the moon is the closest to the Earth. The supermoon will cause high tides to be at least a foot higher than normal, a cause for concern considering that the flooding hasn't receded in Cedar Key yet.

"It hit at low tide, but it's not receding from what I can see from the photos," Soldatos said.

She added that there is a robust clamming industry in Cedar Key that will likely be devastated by the storm as well, as farmers raise the clams in the Gulf.

Despite the damage, the close-knit community has united in the past, with residents helping each other rebuild.

"We have people from all over the world that visit and absolutely love our tiny, little community," Soldatos said. "Last time, we were able to rebuild from volunteer support, everything from people pushing brooms to electricians and plumbers.

"It's mind-boggling the extent of what is ahead of us the next few months," she said.