Tropical Storm Debby: Coastal business prepare for storm surge

HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. - Coastal businesses in Hernando and Citrus County took Tropical Storm Debby preps seriously on Saturday. 

Hernando County Emergency officials hosted a press conference in the afternoon warning about the impacts the storm could bring. 

Paul Hasenmeier Hernando County Fire Chief & Public Safety Director said, "One of the biggest effects that we’re expecting now is storm surge. The storm surge is definitely impacting low-lying areas."

At the time, Hasenmeier said Hernando Beach and Aripeka are the most vulnerable areas of the county to storm surge. Blair Hensley, Managing Partner of Mary's Fish Camp in Bayport took several precautions with the help of his 15 staff members to preserve the historic 8-acre property on Saturday.

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"This place has been here since 1946," he said, "Here at Mary’s, we’re almost below sea level. On a good high tide, we have water coming over our sea wall." Hensley said Debby's track is reminiscent of Hermine in 2016."I got out here and there were three feet of water, and I’m going, ‘What has happened?’ We didn’t prepare for it and literally had to rebuild this whole place," he said, "Every cabin, we lost every bed, couch, refrigerator, stove. We lost everything from the storm."

Hensley said the loss taught his staff many lessons and spurred them to put a system in place ahead of severe weather events in order to preserve Mary's history. He explained, "Every time we have a scare, we load everything up in U-Hauls, all of the cabin [furniture] in U-Haul's, take [merchandise from] the store, put it in a U-Haul." Staff then park the U-Hauls in a lot several miles inland to unload once the storm passes. "We've done it so many times now that they know what to do, it makes it pretty quick," he said.

Hensley is also the managing partner of businesses in Homosassa, another coastal community in Citrus County. He said although they are located further north, closer to where Debby is anticipated to make landfall those businesses, the Monkey Bar and Florida Cracker, are further inland. So, storm preps were much less intense. He said, "At the Monkey Bar, it’s two stories, so we’re able to take all of our furniture, put it on the second story, which gets it out of the way. We have flood dams."

Through those measures, Hensley said he and his staff feel ready for whatever conditions Debby could bring.

For more information about Mary's Fish Camp, click here.