{"id":20332,"date":"2024-08-30T11:55:25","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T15:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?post_type=wfsu-news&#038;p=20332"},"modified":"2024-08-30T12:43:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T16:43:28","slug":"taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia","status":"publish","type":"wfsu-news","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor County: 1 year after Hurricane Idalia"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-20332-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/08\/idaliaanniversary0829d.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/08\/idaliaanniversary0829d.mp3\">https:\/\/cpa.ds.npr.org\/s390\/audio\/2024\/08\/idaliaanniversary0829d.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>It\u2019s been one year since the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/tags\/hurricane-idalia\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Category 3 storm<\/a> made landfall near Keaton Beach and there\u2019s still some visible reminders of that storm.<\/p>\n<p>David and Leslie Hall own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.springwarriorfishcamp.com\/about.html\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spring Warrior Fish Camp<\/a> in nearby Perry. They say since Hurricane Idalia, business has been a bit unpredictable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were out of power for two weeks, and still had cleanup the whole rest of the month in September,&#8221; David said in an interview Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/8f\/54\/8b02a43443c2bd38ee096dbcbe48\/img-1699.JPG\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" alt=\"David and Leslie Hall own Spring Warrior Fish Camp in nearby Perry. They say since Hurricane Idalia, business has been a bit unpredictable. Aug. 28, 2024 (WFSU\/Adrian Andrews)\"><\/p>\n<p>During a tour of the place, Leslie said that her business attracts hundreds of fishermen from across the Big Bend to the area. They all come here to fish or hunt for scallops in a nearby creek.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was so busy out here. There was no place to park, the place was full. And then\u2026storms,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Last year, conditions were so bad after the storm, that Leslie and her husband had no choice but to temporarily close down, which meant no money was being made.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still had people who were calling and asking if they could come,&#8221; explained Leslie. &#8220;And we were like, you can\u2019t even get a vehicle down here. The roads were blocked. It was really bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Hall\u2019s say they spent $10,000 replacing roofs and installing a new fish cleaning station that Idalia destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Spring Warrior Fish Camp is now back up and running, and David says it\u2019s here to stay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just taking it one day at a time. We\u2019re letting our customers know that we\u2019re back open. We haven\u2019t gone anywhere. The storms couldn\u2019t take us out. We\u2019ll be here for many years, I hope,&#8221; said David.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/1a\/e4\/2213f38e4e7691a0490d6c8b1cda\/img-1646.JPG\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" alt=\"Georgia Pacific shut down the Foley Cellulose papermill in November 2023. Georgia Pacific said its decision to close had nothing to do with the storm. The plant has been a pillar in the city of Perry since the 1950s. Adrian Andrews\/WFSU\"><\/p>\n<p><b>But what about Perry\u2019s lumber industry?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Dawn Perez is the executive director for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorflorida.com\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Taylor County Tourism Development Council<\/a>. Her team is working to recover jobs and bring more money back to the county, amid the post-hurricane closure of <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/2024-04-04\/west-fraser-mill-local-and-state-officials-are-responding-to-taylor-county-losing-its-sawmill\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two major job creators in the area.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone is sorta scrambling around\u2014just trying to do whatever we can to try to move forward and help the community,&#8221; Perez explained.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/f1\/f6\/0567625a462ba8f799e88d65d001\/img-1641.JPG\" width=\"1958\" height=\"1310\" alt=\"West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. blames high fiber costs and a softening lumber market in Perry for the mill closure. The company let go 126 employees last January but kept the facility open with a limited staff. As of Friday, no one is working at the facility. April 2, 2024 (WFSU\/Adrian Andrews)\"><\/p>\n<p>Georgia-Pacific <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/state-news\/2023-09-21\/taylor-county-prepares-to-face-foley-mill-closure-weeks-after-major-hurricane\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed its papermill<\/a> in November of 2023. Then the West Fraser mill <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/wfsu-local-news\/2024-04-02\/the-city-of-perry-loses-its-last-mill-leaving-hundreds-of-residents-without-a-job\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">laid off 126 employees<\/a>, before closing its sawmill facility in Perry this past March.<\/p>\n<p>Both closures came just months after Idalia hit the area. And before the area could fully get back on its feet, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wfsu.org\/all-npr-news\/2024-08-05\/hurricane-debby-inundates-northern-florida-with-heavy-rains-and-flooding\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hurricane Debbie<\/a> struck just this past month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<div class=\"Quote-wrapper\">\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"Quote\">\n<blockquote><p>\n     <i>\u201cFollowing the decision in January 2023 to indefinitely curtail the Perry Sawmill in Florida, which saw a small crew kept onsite to maintain the mill, West Fraser is now moving to permanently close the mill by the end of March. The few remaining workers will complete their last shifts this week. The equipment will then be assessed for use elsewhere.&#8221;<\/i>\n    <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"Quote-attribution\">\n     Joyce Wagenaar, Director of Communications, West Fraser\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Perez says officials have been going over plans that would improve Perry\u2019s downtown area and bring more retail stores to the community in an effort to stem the effects of the job losses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone\u2019s got their little piece of the pie that they\u2019re working on and everyone is working really hard to see that Perry survives this\u2026and we will,&#8221; Perez stated.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/28\/19\/4fa587c04d90be965ac5faa226b4\/idaliadamage.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" alt=\"A home which came off its blocks sits partially submerged in a canal in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, two days after the passage of Hurricane Idalia. Nearly all the experts think 2024 will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record. \"><\/p>\n<p>For education, the Taylor County School District is undergoing a <a href=\"https:\/\/perrynewspapers.com\/?p=44814\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$10.1 million repair and replacement project<\/a>. The district is using part of the money to put a new roof on Taylor County High School after Idalia destroyed it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA hurricane can knock down trees, but it shouldn\u2019t knock down someone\u2019s dreams,&#8221; said John Grosskopf, the President of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfc.edu\/\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">North Florida College<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A month before Idalia hit, the institution <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfc.edu\/perry-location.html\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">opened a facility in Perry<\/a>. It\u2019s the only campus in Taylor County, and Grosskopf says after Idalia, the school made sure their students had access to academic support and were fed thanks to food drives.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"Enh\" data-align-center>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Idalia event really helped us shake out a lot of dead wood from some of our operations. It gave us a fresh perspective on the extent of current needs and how vulnerable this rural part of the state was to quick change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perry residents say they\u2019re hoping this past year will soon be behind them. And they\u2019re looking forward to something better this year. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2024 WFSU<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":20333,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[],"tags":[1136,1135],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Taylor County: 1 year after Hurricane Idalia - WFSU Local Routes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taylor County: 1 year after Hurricane Idalia - WFSU Local Routes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the past year, local officials and businesses in Taylor County, have been working to recover what\u2019s been lost and then some.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WFSU Local Routes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-30T16:43:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/horseshoe-beach-idalia-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/taylor-county-1-year-after-hurricane-idalia\/\",\"name\":\"Taylor County: 1 year after Hurricane Idalia - 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