Captiva restaurant surrounded by sand after Helene

Recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene has been a difficult journey for many Southwest Florida businesses.

One Captiva restaurant, the Mucky Duck, was left almost unrecognizable, with piles of sand reaching the doors and windows of the establishment.

“You really see how much sand there is and how heavy and wet the sand is. It’s kind of hard to overcome, but we will overcome it,” said Lori Snow, a bartender and part-time manager at the Mucky Duck.

Snow said Hurricane Helene left the restaurant with more damage than Hurricane Ian did. 

“The sand was up to the windows. You can see the edge of the sand under the first few windows here, and new siding is supposed to be coming in a couple days. The outside bar got trashed again down at the end,” said Snow.

Snow has worked at the Mucky Duck for 28 years. She said the business is like a home to her and that many others in the community feel the same way. 

“It’s basically my life. Lot of returning customers, great friends. [I] meet new people every day and obviously have a great office to work at here at the Mucky Duck,” said Snow. 

While the business will also have to deal with some broken windows and patio furniture, Snow said they are working hard to restore the Mucky Duck. 

“We’ll get it all cleaned up. We’ll be back open when we can,” said Snow.