Florida coastal town battered, bruised but not beaten by Hermine

By Zachary Fagenson CEDAR KEY, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida residents found power lines down and water rushing into their homes after Hurricane Hermine cut across the state on Friday, with many feeling they had dodged what could have been a much worse blow from a tempest predicted to be life-threatening. Just a few days before Hermine hit the state, Terry Williams, 60, and his partner Martin Kemp opened a coffee shop called 1842 Daily Grind on Cedar Key, a coastal town of about 700 people about 90 miles north of Tampa. Almost as soon as the store opened for business, sea surges generated by Hermine led to more flood water flowing in than coffee moving out. "This is day four and we're repairing water damage," Williams said. Among the items damaged were wood flooring, coffee grinders and new appliances that they can now never use. In the spirit of resilience and hospitality, the pair set a record player outside their store, offering free cookies, bagels and muffins for neighbors surveying damage. Many in the town on Friday placed water-soaked carpets in the sun to dry. Hermine was a hurricane when it hit Florida, the first to make landfall in more than a decade in the state, which has a history of being battered by storms. One person was feared dead in the storm that left nearly 300,000 homes and businesses without power. Damage to property was significant, but nowhere the level of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Andrew damaged more than 100,000 structures and caused billions of dollars in losses. Low-lying areas saw floods from Hermine and the state has not provided a tally for the damage, which appears significant. Molly Jubitz, manager of the Cedar Key public library, considers herself one of the lucky ones. She spent the night at a friend's home on high ground, fearing storm surges at her residence. She learned from a friend her house survived unscathed. "Somehow no water got inside, which is amazing," she said. The same could not be said of the library, where the building had a water mark about a foot and half high on its walls showing where the flooding hit. Despite the risks from its low elevation and a global rise in sea levels, Jubitz said she and area residents cannot resist the laid-back lifestyle of coastal Florida. "I'll do everything I can to keep my life out here." (Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)