Post Irma -- Snappers Is Back

Like so many others, we watched with great interest as Irma approached Florida early in September of 2017. There were several reasons it was important to us, the main one being our son and his family living near Miami. As they first boarded up their home and headed for Fort Meyers, we began to relax. And then Irma turned and headed straight for the west coast of Florida. We heaved a sigh of relief when our son returned to the Miami area and found shelter out of the evacuation zone with other friends there.

Then Irma headed directly for the Florida keys. More specifically right for the area where we spend our winters. The good news, I said to Bob, is that we don't own the condo. The bad news is that we may have to spend the winter up north.

Irma approached with a vengeance, hitting the area just south of Key Largo the hardest.As we watched people prepare, a CNN report featured our favorite restaurant for Sunday brunch which sits on the ocean side of Key Largo and right on the water's edge. The CNN reporter interviewed the owner and the people gathered at the Snappers outdoor bar as they awaited the storm and speculated about what its impact might be.

When we arrived in January of 2018, Irma had left her mark. Debris was still littering the median strip of the Overseas Highway especially as you drove further south into the keys. There was a large area near Marathon that appeared to have been cleared by a giant bulldozer. What happened to Snappers we wondered?

Our first Sunday we found that Snappers was indeed open but they were using a food truck to prepare food. With no kitchen, there was no dishwasher so all the silverware and dishes were disposable. The boardwalk in front of the restaurant where there was outdoor seating had survived but the inside of the restaurant itself had been totally destroyed. A waitress told us the inside had been filled with seaweed and debris from the ocean.

Fast forward to our first Sunday of this season. We came down a bit early--just before Christmas. To our surprise, the front door was open and we walked into a brand new interior. It's quite updated and a bit more modern looking than the rustic old interior but they had just started working out of their new kitchen a few days before and we ate off of real china and silverware. We still chose to eat outside. After all, that's what we come to Florida for in the winter--the weather.

We look forward to visiting Snappers often especially as they expand to their full menu again. So glad to see how resilient people can be.

The Keys Post Irma

A foot of sea grass carpeted the floor of the Snappers dining room
after Irma destroyed the windows and let the water in.

The hurricane season of 2017 devastated many. Texas. Florida. Puerto Rico. Several Caribbean islands. While we had heard reports of the damage in the keys, we didn't know quite what to expect when we arrived in early January. It was three months post Irma. How much would be recovered? How much lost?

Beginning restoration of the Turtle Club at Snappers.

While Key Largo where we rent a condo was touched by Irma, it was not as devastating as the swipe Irma took through Islamorada and Marathon to the south of us. The condo complex where we stay had not been severely damaged. The condo buildings were intact. The only structure sustaining damage was one of the boat storage units that lost its metal roof. A lot of the landscape had changed though. There were obvious spots where trees were missing and leaves were stripped from other trees and bushes.

Along the Overseas Highway there were still large piles of debris, mostly of large tree bottoms with huge roots but also couches, tires, pieces of wooden structures, etc. Some of which we would learn was being carted to the area from other places and dumped.

Snappers' temporary kitchen.

The saddest things we learned were of the hotels and restaurants that were still closed and needing repair. Along with the "No Dumping" signs were signs warning of the illegality of unlicensed contractors. We would also hear of the shortage of contractors and crews. They were stretched thin which made progress slow.

Our favorite restaurant, Snappers, was featured in a CNN story just before and after the hurricane hit. According to reports the restaurant was flooded with four feet of surge and battered by waves as high as ten feet. It sits right on the ocean side where the category 4 hurricane came ashore. The outdoor bar area known as the Turtle Club was completely wiped away.

An aerial shot of Snappers before Irma.

The restaurant was one of the first to begin serving the area again but did so by cooking on outdoor grills at what they could restore quickly of the bar just outside the main building. The restaurant itself  was a mess and its kitchen destroyed. The owner said he was mainly trying to provide a place of respite for the few who were just returning to their homes.

Eventually Snappers put their cook in a food truck and began serving from an "Irmageddon" menu. There is no dishwasher so everything is served on disposable wear. Tables are still set up on the outdoor boardwalk area and patrons are supporting the owners efforts. Still it is difficult as they cannot serve as many as before so staff has been reduced.

Carmelitano used to play from a floating platform dockside.

That is the case with many of the jobs in the area. The reduction in hotel space because of closings reduces the number of people coming to the keys which of course leads to a reduction in staff.

If there is one thing the Keys are though it's resilient and things will begin to take shape and hopefully be even better than before. Meanwhile, we will eat our Sunday brunch and Snappers and enjoy the music of Frank Carmelitano and the weather and the food that is still amazingly good despite the small portable kitchen it comes from.