PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla — Like many people in Pass-a-Grille Beach, Jason Lutzk is digging out his business after Hurricane Helene pushed about two feet of water into it.
"We've never seen anything this bad. We've had some major storms come really close, but we always felt like we were untouchable. It's an eye-opening experience," Jason Lutzk Owner and Chef of Grace Restaurant, explained.
Lutzk said part of the recovery includes cleaning out the sand from inside his restaurant and checking for mold.
"Right now, we have no business at all. We're hoping to maybe start up some takeout once we can get everything cleaned up. I'm starting an online ordering program, hopefully in the next week or so, and we can at least get some locals fed," Lutzk added.
His neighbor, Rick Falkenstein, owns Hurricane Seafood Restaurant. He said the sand dunes may have saved his family's business.
"My grandfather built the Keystone Motel back in 1945, and of course, my big mentor was my mom. She took it over. This is the first time ever, besides flip flops, being sand and saltwater in the rooms. They got about an inch and a half, two inches, thank goodness," Falkenstein said.
Just down the road is the Pass-a-Grille Community Church Thrift Store, a staple in the community for 50 years.
"It's like a family here. I've been here almost 30 years working," the manager Betty Colone shared.
She's helping gut the building after getting around two feet of water inside from Hurricane Helene.
"The church is flooded, so we won't be able to have church for a while, and we don't know if we'll be able to come back to this building or when, but it's impacted all of us, and it's so sad," Colone said.
County officials tell us crews are still working to get sand off Pass-a-Grille parking lots. Once it's clear, the plan is to then asses how much sand was lost before the re-nourishment project resumes.
"We'll be back. We'll build better, and we'll help everybody we can," Colone said.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
