St Armands Business owners struggling to recover

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Last week Hurricane Helene rocked the Suncoast, slamming through barrier islands and leaving a path of devastation many have never seen before.

On St Armands circle, piles of debris sit along every corner from businesses gutting their shops. While recovery efforts are now in full swing, so many tell ABC7 they are struggling.

“We’re extremely stressed this was our only source of income,” said Cariloha Sarasota owner, Jeff Snell.

Snell’s shop took on nearly three feet of storm surge, with water pushing through the floorboards.

“I already went and got another job and we’re trying to get the store up as fast as we can,” said Snell.

The owner tells ABC7 they lost over two thirds of their inventory, all of their large floor fixtures, electronics, and supplies. Despite sandbagging and elevating items, Snell says the storm’s intensity was too overwhelming.

“The building itself is covered but since it came up through the flooring, none of the contents were,” said Snell.

The owner said they are taking on a nearly $100,000 financial hit from the storm, and being a small business, they need a lot of help. If you’d like to donate to the GoFundMe Snell has created for the shop to get back on its feet, click here.

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