Islamorada was a mess....
Went down to help out when they opened US-1 to non-residents last week. Took 1-75 from Tampa down, and if I passed one power truck I passed a couple thousand....heading back north. They were from all over the US and on their way home.
Spotty damage until you get into Key Largo and then was evident of the storms power. Surge is what really accounted for the piles of everything on the sides of the road. The damage was incredible, and loss of property and everyday living items massive.
Clean up is coming along nicely but the amount of STUFF is pretty mind boggling. Mangrove Mikes was open for breakfast again, as was Whale Harbor buffet in Islamorada, which was very good, and they have reduced the price to $20 to get folks out again. Had a great selection considering what they had just been through. Our waiter you could tell was stressed out....but back at work after two weeks of none. We left him a $55 tip on a $40 dollar tab, and the first smile that had seen from a local.
All the locals have 'that look' of going through and trying to restart their lives again after Irma. They will be back, but it is a tough road ahead for them. Took a drive down to Marathon on Saturday, and the 'stuff' is mountains on the sides of the road. The surge was massive there, folks pretty much lost everything on the ocean side, and pretty bad on the bayside also. There was a hundred power trucks there working on the power, as the damage to the grid was incredible.
They have set up staging points for all the 'stuff' and are sorting it all and hauling it out truck load by truck load. In islamorada there was literally hundreds of stoves-freezers-refrigerators and other appliances on the old road. The freezers with bait still in them were easy to smell from 1/4 mile away.
Power-internet-water is back in Islamorada, but water has to be boiled for use. Further south, very limited cell service, Marathon on. We bailed out yesterday morning and came back to Tampa,
You don't really appreciate what you have until you see something like this. They will be back, but is going to be a long road for them.
