Mexico Beach looking ahead to 2019 after Hurricane Michael

Jan. 01--MEXICO BEACH -- After losing his Mexico Beach home to Hurricane Michael, a free meal felt like a good way to start off 2019 for Johnny Crouch.

He worked to clean his lot and help neighbors after the storm, and spent New Year's Day at a free community lunch in Mexico Beach. The gathering was intended to raise spirits and bring people together after the powerful storm devastated the area.

"We came down for the holiday. We're staying in Apalachicola," said Crouch, who is undecided on if he'll move back to Mexico Beach. "We'll have to see what the new codes require. I just retired in June completely out of debt and planned on staying that way. I don't know what I can afford to do as far as rebuilding."

The meal was held near the First United Methodist Church under a tent where people chatted at tables while eating. Word spread about the event beforehand on Facebook.

Volunteers, including Ann Laluzerne, filled plates and greeted people. She expected 2019 would bring a "new town" for Mexico Beach, which still has debris piles, closed businesses and severely damaged buildings 83 days after Hurricane Michael made landfall.

"My parents have owned a beach house here since I was 5. I've lived here my whole life," said Laluzerne. "I've owned my house for 18 years. I'm a nurse in Panama City and I like to give back to the community any way I can. It's definitely new beginnings and a new start for a great year to come."

In what's become a familiar story in Bay County, Laluzerne said she's having difficulty with her insurance company claims.

"I'm still waiting," said Laluzerne. "You pay in every year. You've got to pay on time but yet they're going to drag their feet to meet their obligations."

James Lowery, another volunteer who lives in St. Joe Beach, said seeing the aftermath in Mexico Beach is devastating.

Improvement "will be slow but everybody is all fired up and I think they're going to make it work," said Lowery. "I hope."

The meal was an opportunity for fellowship, said Mexico Beach resident Glenda Conley, who came to grab a bite to eat. The amount of destruction is "unimaginable," she said.

"The pictures in the media just can't begin to really show the extent of the damage," said Conley. "My house is damaged but it's fairly new. We moved in in August 2017, so it's very well-built. We were able to move back in. We had to stay out about a month until we got all the utilities restored. We moved back in mid-November and we're slowly getting the repairs done."

Working with contractors' schedules is a big challenge since the contractors have a lot of work to do, said Conley.

"When you look around here, you see a lot of optimism today," said Conley, who added 2019 will mean "coming back maybe even stronger than normal than we were before as a community."

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