In twos and threes, property owners have begun to return to the devastated community of Mexico Beach on the Florida Panhandle. Most of the town’s seaside buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed, and residents are grappling with the question of whether, and how, to rebuild. The Los Angeles Times had this report (see: “Hurricane Michael leaves a seaside Florida town in an existential crisis,” by Jenny Jarvie). “Many residents and business owners, anticipating massive insurance shortfalls, have yet to decide whether to commit to the daunting challenge of rebuilding structures strong enough to withstand the next big storm,” the paper reported. “About a third of the town’s 1,200 full-time residents are senior citizens. Many homes were not covered by flood insurance. A vast swath of older ranch-style homes and commercial structures sat at ground level and did not meet the state’s current elevation and windstorm requirements.”
Viewed from the town’s seaside main drag, the damage is daunting. Google Maps has updated its “Street View” imagery, allowing an up-close view of the beach town’s post-storm condition, reported Fox 4 WFTX (Fort Myers/Cape Coral) (see: “Street view shows hurricane destruction in Mexico Beach, Florida”). “The new images uploaded to Google Street View were taken from a vehicle driving along Highway 98 through the town shortly after the storm, and show piles of debris everywhere and crews working on cleanup details,” the station reported.
At least one iconic town business is vowing to rebuild, reported TV station WJHG/WECP, NBC Channel 7 (see: “Popular Mexico Beach restaurant planning to rebuild”). Patrick Lee, owner of Toucan’s Restaurant, said, “We’re not running from this, Michael didn’t scare us away. Toucan’s is going to be part of Mexico Beach. It’s been here since 1966 so we’re going to be here for another 50 years.”
But Lee will be starting from scratch. The Google Street View image from the restaurant’s address shows a jumbled pile of debris in the middle of a devastated streetscape.
