Photos: Floridians show resilience as Keys communities slowly rebuild 1 year after Irma

By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather staff writer

September 09, 2018, 9:59:23 AM EDT

One year after Hurricane Irma’s unwelcome arrival, the Florida Keys are open for business, but the continued recovery serves as an ongoing reality to the storm’s long-term effects on the region.

The storm impacted all parts of Florida, but the damage was most severe in the Keys, which was on the receiving end of the Category 4 storm’s most powerful impacts, when it made the first of two Florida landfalls near Cudjoe Key early on Sept. 10, 2017.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

In this Sept. 13, 2017, photo, debris surrounds a destroyed structure in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Big Pine Key, Florida.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A customer pumps gas at a Costco gas station on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, in North Miami, Florida.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Miami resident Eduardo Soriano waited in a line since dawn to purchase plywood sheets at a Home Depot store in North Miami on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017.

(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Heavy traffic on Interstate 75 moves slowly, Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, in Forrest Park, South of Atlanta. A massive evacuation clogged Florida's major highways.

(Gerben Van Es/Dutch Defense Ministry via AP)

This Sept. 7, 2017 photo provided by the Dutch Defense Ministry shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in St. Maarten.

(Guillermo Houwer via AP)

This Sept. 14, 2017 photo provided by Guillermo Houwer on Saturday, Sept. 16, shows storm damage to the Biras Creek Resort in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.

(Guillermo Houwer via AP)

This Sept. 14, 2017 photo provided by Guillermo Houwer on Saturday, Sept. 16, shows storm damage to the Biras Creek Resort in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.

(Gerben Van Es/Dutch Defense Ministry via AP)

This Sept. 7, 2017 photo provided by the Dutch Defense Ministry shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in St. Maarten.

(Photo/Andy Coates)

A before and after image Hurricane Irma's impact on Key West, Florida.

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Rescue workers, left, search a neighborhood for flood victims as a man on a kayak down the street after Hurricane Irma brought floodwaters to Jacksonville, Florida, Monday, Sept. 11, 2017.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

This Sept. 10, 2017 file photo shows waves crashing over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Florida, as storm surge from Hurricane Irma impacts Miami.

(Photo/Mahde Said)

Damage from Irma in the British Virgin Islands.

(NOAA)

This NOAA satellite image shows extensive damage in Key West.

(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A salvage crew lifts the wreckage of the restaurant and bar Willy T's which was anchored in The Bight Bay off Norman Island in Norman Island, British Virgin Islands, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018.

(Guillermo Houwer)

This Sept. 14, 2017 photo provided by Guillermo Houwer on Saturday, Sept. 16, shows a view from inside a helicopter of storm damage to St. John in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(Jamie Johnson/St Johns County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018 photo, an unoccupied beachfront home collapses due to beach erosion in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

In this Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017 photo, an American flag waves in the median where small piles of debris leftover from Hurricane Irma dot the landscape of a residential street, in Everglades City, Florida.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

A woman wades through flood water from the St. Johns River in the wake Hurricane Irma Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, in Jacksonville, Florida.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

An overturned trailer is shown in a trailer park in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, in north Bahia Honda Key, Florida.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Sept. 11, 2017 photo, Larry Dimas walk around his destroyed trailer in Immokalee, Florida. Irma badly damaged Dimas' mobile home and destroyed another he used for rental income, making his tough life even harder.

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In this Sept. 11, 2017 file photo, Quintana and Liz Perez look at the flooding outside their home in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in Immokalee, Florida, one of the poorest towns in the state.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Debris and a car damaged during the storm are shown in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, in Big Pine Key, Florida.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

In this Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, photo, the remains of damaged and overturned trailers sit at the Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina, in Big Pine Key, Florida.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A cyclist rides past a pile of debris, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Key West, Florida.

(NOAA via AP)

These satellite images show Florida on August 2017, left, and September 2017, right, after Irma hit. The September image shows how Irma pushed massive amounts of sand, uncovered ancient reefs and buried others.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

This photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, shows Hawks Cay Resort undergoing renovations after Hurricane Irma in Ducks Key, Florida.

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

This photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, shows Robbie's, a business that offers tourists and visitors diverse recreational marine activities in Islamorada, Florida.

(Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this Florida Keys News Bureau photo, a visitor enjoys the sun at Hawks Cay Resort., Thursday, August 30, 2018, on Duck Key, Florida. The landmark Florida Keys resort had been closed for almost a year after Irma hit.

(Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

In this Florida Keys News Bureau photo, visitors walk on a lagoon's beach at Hawks Cay Resort, Thursday, August 30, 2018, on Duck Key, Florida. The landmark Florida Keys resort had been closed for almost a year since Irma.

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According to the National Hurricane Center’s tropical cyclone report on Irma, a combination of storm surge and flooding produced maximum inundation levels of 5 to 8 feet above ground for portions of the lower Florida Keys.

Damage assessment results from Monroe County stated that over 1,100 homes were destroyed. The hardest-hit areas included mobile homes, manufactured homes or RVs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated that 25 percent of the buildings in the Keys were destroyed, 65 percent were significantly damaged and 90 percent of houses sustained some damage.

Over 1,300 boats were damaged or destroyed due to storm surge and there were extensive power outages and tree damage. Three people drowned in the Keys during Irma's passage and another 40 people suffered injuries. At least 75 percent of residents had evacuated.

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Visitors to the island chain in the year since the storm may not have noticed much damage in popular tourist areas such as Key West. However, if someone were to travel about 15 miles north, the signs of recovery are evident in neighborhoods that are still struggling to rebuild.

“The recovery story is one of longevity,” said Michelle Luckett, executive director of the Monroe County Long Term Recovery Group, which provides recovery services to individuals and families affected by disasters in the Florida Keys community.

Luckett cited several factors that have made recovery a challenge. Because Irma was so big and it impacted the entire state, there was a limited number of contractors available to do construction, such as roof and siding repair.

The geography of the Keys has also played a role. Parts of the Upper Keys are about an hour south of Miami-Dade County, while Key West is a little over a three-hour drive to Miami, and that’s without traffic issues. U.S. Route 1 is the only thoroughfare into and out of the islands, making it particularly challenging to return if there is extensive storm damage.

“Although the Florida Keys are open for business, it’s a little different than what it was last year,” Luckett said. “There are still parts of the middle and lower keys that still have significant damage.“

Some are still living in FEMA trailers, while others have tarps covering their homes. In some instances, people are taking a piecemeal approach to rebuilding their residences as they wait for additional funding from the state. The Long Term Recovery Group is helping rebuild 30 roofs thanks to a $500,000 grant from the American Red Cross.

The recovery has also impacted the mental well being of many residents. Luckett said post-traumatic stress disorder is a big problem in the county. Monroe County is also experiencing a higher-than-normal suicide rate.

Monroe County Health Director Bob Eadie told WLRN that Irma is likely a big factor in the rise in suicides.

“It’s like this miasma, this cloud hangs over anybody that had to go through it,” he said.

With the current Atlantic hurricane season at its peak, and some areas still vulnerable, Luckett said she thinks people are paying much closer attention for potential storms following Irma. There’s a greater awareness that it’s not going to take as much to bring harm, she said.

“Everything in the Keys…things are recovering but everything is very fragile. And it won’t take a major storm for there to be major damage here.”

A cyclist rides past a pile of debris, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Key West, Fla. Businesses and residents in the Keys are removing debris and fixing damage caused by Hurricane Irma in anticipation for the return of tourists in the area. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

To help improve preparedness, Monroe County instituted the "Monroe Emergency Reserve Corps" that will consist of "volunteers with a variety of talents and skills who would like to help in time of emergency in the Keys."

Despite the arduous recovery and the trepidation of future storms to come, the communities have shown a remarkable resilience, according to Luckett.

"The recovery is every single day. But people here are so resilient and they’re so committed to bouncing back, that they’ll do whatever they need to do whether that’s working two jobs or three jobs to make ends meet," she said.

“I think that's a testament to the culture of the Keys and the desire to live life to its fullest. People here don't mind working, and so if you're willing to do those things, then you're willing to pick up the pieces after Mother Nature comes through town."