OVIEDO, Fla. — Weeks after Hurricane Ian, many lake and river front properties are still in waist-deep water.
One of those locations is The Black Hammock, which is surrounded by floods.
What You Need To Know
- The Black Hammock encompasses a bar, restaurant, and adventure tour business located off Lake Jesup
- Their bar area remains underwater, with flooding still reaching up to the bar stools
- The business is now asking for help to rebuild their animal habitat after birds have had to be relocated
The splattered dirt and mold on the chairs of The Black Hammock paint a picture of the flood after Hurricane Ian.
If the dinner tables could talk, they’d tell the stories of the families who have gathered at The Black Hammock for memories and a hot meal.
“It’s one of those restaurants where when you have your family members come to visit, you always think of The Black Hammock. And you wanna bring them out here to see the lake and enjoy the nice food,” said Jayson Rivera, General Manager of The Black Hammock.
Rivera says the scene at the business is a far cry from the thriving energy The Black Hammock once had. The restaurant and adventure tour destination has closed doors indefinitely as they wait for the water to recede.
“This is the highest that we’ve seen it,” recalled Rivera.
The only area that is untouched is their additional raised restaurant space. However, even that has to remain closed, as there’s no way in without walking through the water.
“Once the water level goes down a little bit, this will be one of the buildings that we can reopen,” he said.
The raised space has turned out to be a saving grace, as many other sources of income will need to be fixed or rebuilt entirely.
One is their animal habitat, which houses the likes of cockatiels and macaws. The birds are safe at a temporary location, but their enclosure in Oviedo is still engulfed in water.
“Hopefully it comes down quick,” said Rivera. “Just a lot of support would be great.”
The Black Hammock is hoping to get approval to raise its bar space up so it won’t be flooded after a hurricane again.
The business is also collecting donations for its bird sanctuary, and information can be found here.
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