RUSKIN, Fla. — After back-to-back hurricanes last year, The Fish House is set to reopen this week after being closed for nearly four months.
Julie Cockerham, owner of The Fish House, said hurricane Helene forced her to temporarily close in late September.
"We lost all of our freezers, all of our refrigerators, all of our prep tables, and my fryers as well. I basically lost everything that was essential," said Cockerham.
ABC Action News visited The Fish House in Ruskin in late October. Cockerham turned her patio-style restaurant into a distribution site to help other hurricane victims.
People could stop by and get necessities like water, hygiene supplies, and non-perishable food items.
"We immediately tried to get some volunteers together because we knew that I was not the only one suffering. If this happened to me and my house as well, there was going to be a lot of other people that suffered as well," said Cockerham.
Cockerham said she credits monetary donations and the community's support for helping her rebuild.
A GoFundMe page helped raise donations online.
"It feels wonderful. I can't wait until she gets open," said Carli Walz.
"Let people know how much we appreciate them coming out and being so patient waiting for us to be open again."
The Fish House will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 30.
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Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
