Ten years ago, as Hurricane Hermine pushed up the Gulf of Mexico, severe flooding began washing over Cedar Key on September 1, 2016, before the storm made official landfall nearby in the early morning hours of September 2. Lined up with high spring tides, Hermine delivered a 7.5-foot storm surge above normal tide levels, pushing peak storm tides to 7.7 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL). Water seeped up through floors, inundated waterfront businesses, and flooded homes across the island.

We had only lived in Cedar Key for just over one month. I’m a Florida native and have been through many hurricanes, but never one on an island. We evacuated inland and watched what we could on social media and on the news. After getting word that we could return and check on our home, we did just that.

We returned to find some water had gotten inside our townhome. I can remember walking next door to the fire department (where a town meeting was being held to organize support). I met several locals that day. Ms. Dottie gave me a big hug and let me know I should pull back the baseboards, just to take a look! We did and figured out that we would need to go through the process of demolition and repair. Wet drywall is never a good thing.

The outpouring of support for Cedar Key was amazing. Locals who didn’t receive damage were out helping others. The Chiefland High School football team was out picking up debris along with visitors from out of town who came in to volunteer. Strangers showed up with food and supplies. National relief organizations came in to offer assistance.

A decade later—having since weathered the severe impacts of Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Helene in 2024—I have experienced first hand how Cedar Key stands not as a community defined by disaster, but as a model for coastal resilience and neighborly grit.

Learn more about Cedar Key’s resiliency plan here.

Read NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT HURRICANE HERMINE for a history of the storm. https://www.weather.gov/media/phi/StormReports/Hurricane_Hermine.pdf

I use Gemini, an Ai by Google, to help me write and gather information.