- Helene destroyed Maddie's Market, Steinahatchee neighbors' main grocery store.
- Neighbors said they are now driving miles to Perry or Cross City for fresh produce and meat, an added time and financial stress.
- Watch the video to find out how this damage is affecting neighbors, what's next for this store, how the owner plans to move forward.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We’re currently standing in what’s left of Steinhatchee’s larger grocery store, now completely destroyed by Helene. The video shows the water line left behind from Helene. It sits at about 6 feet and shows the impact of the storm.
Now neighbors said they’re now having to travel miles to the next nearest larger store, a financial burden they don’t need right now. It's a routine they said they're going to have to adapt to for several months.
This video shows what is left of Steinhatchee's main grocery store. Now reduced to rubble.
"The office was back there, that's a hole we had to knock through the wall too," said Don Everett, owner of Maddie's Market and President of Ware Oil and Supply Company. "Along the walls were frozen foods, and then produce, and then out in the middle was the shelves lined with product."
Everett said the damage left behind from Helene requires a complete overhaul of the store.
"This market has been the anchor for this community for a long long time, in terms of grocery items," said Everett.
What has it been like without Maddie's Market?
"I was cooking last time and I'm like oh gosh I don't have any cheese, I need to run to the store. Duh. There's no store to run to," said Steinhatchee local, Janalea England, describing what life has been like since the storm came through. "There's no steak, there's no pork chops...You don't realize how much it is a luxury to have a grocery store in your town until it has been taken away."
"A big change because, like I said, Maddie's is the only place that provides meat and produce," said Belle Nielson, another Steinhatchee local.
What kind of impact is that having on you?
"TV dinners, basically," said another neighbor, Mark Kramer.
Locals said they're shopping at the Family Dollar and Dollar General here but for their bigger grocery hauls, they are now driving to Perry or Cross City. That's at least a 20 minute ride away. It is a new routine that requires extra time and money.
"Say that my bill was $40, now I've gotta put another $20 on top of it. Technically it's $60," said England.
It's damage that's put people, like Nielson, out of a job, and she has just recently given birth to a baby boy, so it's income she needs.
"I was supposed to come back but I don't have a job to come back for," said Nielson.
Everett said he knows how important it is that they open back up.
"The impact for this community is overwhelming, you've got a lot of people who don't have much hope left," said Everett. "Our goal is to get back into the community, rebuild and start reaching out and start reaching the people we can help."
Everett said they're currently finalizing the plans for the rebuild and applying for permits for the new build, He added construction should commence in about a month.
Are you feeling confident about these next steps?
"I feel very confident, i feel like we're here for a reason, so we're not going to give up, we're not going to throw in the towel, we're going to do whatever it takes," said Everett.
Everett said his goal is to open the store by memorial day weekend, adding he has applied for an SBA loan and is grateful for state and federal support that’s been helping the County.
Our community is so good at coming together in times of need. If you know of any resources that might be able to help this town, I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me at 850-509-3271 or at Maya.Sargent@wtxl.tv.
