MEXICO BEACH: GROUND ZERO
BY BRITTANY HAWES AND VAL SCHOGER PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOPEPANHANDLE.ORG
Mexico Beach, Bay County’s easternmost municipality, counted approximately 1,200 residents before Hurricane Michael’s landfall. The small town has always maintained a sense of autonomy, with its citizens protecting the tranquil beaches and preserving its charm. The city’s mission statement on its website is almost painful to read in light of the near-obliteration of the city. On November 15 the city website still testifies to the carefully preserved heritage before the storm; “In stark contrast to neighboring communities along the Gulf Coast, Mexico Beach looks much today as it did decades ago. Commercial development has been restrained and contained. More than a mile of beachfront has been protected against development, offering unobstructed views of the beautiful white-sand beach and emerald Gulf waters. Businesses are almost exclusively locally owned “mom and pop” establishments. Mexico Beach is a success story of preservation.”
Hurricane Michael destroyed an estimated 80% of Mexico Beach homes. The beaches still look tranquil except for the random household items and remains that are strewn about. Decimated of its residents and houses, with its beaches quiet, the city was put back on the power grid at the end of October. The hum of generators and heavy equipment trucks rolling back and forth establish the current “normal.”
Mayor Al Cathey is hopeful. “We have a new power grid built,” he says in the beginning of November during our interview. “Duke Energy came in and put the power grid back. We have made giant steps in making people feel we will soon be able to find some sense of normalcy here. I think it’s a little bit more than three hundred customers who have had the power turned back on. Our main waterline is up and running. It’s not powerful, but you know, you can shower and flush. Some of our sewer lift stations are operational. So, if you have power, water, sewer, it makes a real difference. It’s been a real morale push for our community.”
There is still a long road ahead, he admits. “Without city services people can’t return to their property, either to do repairs or to do major assessments in terms of what they have left, they have no place to go.”
The city of Mexico Beach has a current death toll of four residents. “We were ground zero,” Mayor Cathey explains. “There’s not one business left. We had mom-and-pop businesses and there are a couple trying to get back open. Right now we have no restaurants, there’s no sense of a business community here other than the little lodge pump out on 15th Street and my business, the Ace Hardware store, is opening up in a temporary building. But there’s nothing here that makes you feel like there’s any reason to be here right now other than this is home to us. So, we’re trying to make a difference and make people feel good about their town again. That’s what we’re doing, every day.”
People have come back to do some assessments and check with their insurance company, he explains. “But if all you have left is a slab, then there’s no reason to be here. 75% of our residential properties are non-homesteaded properties. That tells you that you have a lot of second homeowners. And for them to be here other than to find a memory, a picture, a pair of shoes … most of them have come and done what they need to do … there’s no reason to be here right now for them.”
Al Cathey knows that progress is underway. It will just take time. “All I know is what I’ve learned. What I’ve learned is that we are strong-willed, we are strong-spirited. The people that are here, this was their home; they will rebuild and they will work so much to retain the charm of this city. That’s my goal. This is a city which serves citizens. We want to remain who we are and that’s just a village. People love us for who we are. I hope that’s what the city vision is. I know we’ll look different. We’ll be new and improved, but as long as we maintain and have that charm and the character that so many people love about us, that’s what’s important to me.”
The most devastating experience he has been through in dealing with the hurricane aftermath is the loss of so many lives in his city. “One death would have been too many. We have had four deaths. I think it’s miraculous that we didn’t have more, given the circumstances. That was tough for me. I’ve been here 65 years. I know so many of these people. Once you see all the holes, and buildings just missing, you know that they were friends of yours … we are a generational town. The people who own homes here were from three generations back. That’s tough. That’s tough to see. That’s the hardest thing that I had to deal with.”
He looks into the distance; the view of the Gulf is unobstructed. “I’m wondering if… Will the charm come back to us? I think that will happen. I think our people will regroup, get their feet under them, and we will come back stronger than ever. So, I have no doubt in that.”
When asked about the most uplifting of experiences through the events. “Just the people pulling together. The volunteers showing up here, the people that you don’t know from all over the country who opened their arms to us and said hey, let me take your hand, let me pick up this tree, here is a warm meal… Just to see the people come together and come here to help a little city like Mexico Beach and give us hope. I guess you could say they sort of revived our spirit. We didn’t want to be remembered for Michael. We like staying forgotten. We were fine with that. We’re tucked away here on the eastern end of Bay County; now the whole world knows who we are. People came to our rescue and that was very, very uplifting.”
Mayor Al Cathey plans to have City Hall reopened by the end of the year. “We’ll start having some meetings about our new building codes. I think that’s our priority, to let people know what they can do with their property and how we are going to set the standard for rebuilding our city. Just making sure that in the process of doing that, we remember who we are. Having the community-feel. We are the kind of place where people come and pick up shells on the beach and read a book. Our quality of life here has never been for sale and I hope it certainly doesn’t become for sale after this.”
Learn more at www.mexicobeach.com.
