Mexico Beach struggling to fund recovery amid government shutdown

Three months ago, Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach as a category four hurricane. Today, the city is bustling - but not with tourists. Cleanup crews and construction workers have taken over the small beach community. “We’re not in the rebuilding phase, no way," said Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey. "We’re just in the repair and response." Cathey told us about $8 million has already been spent on debris removal. He estimates they’ll have to pay $22 million more plus another $30 million for infrastructure repairs. “Mexico Beach cannot recover without assistance, immediate assistance” Cathey stated. The mayor stressed assistance has been hard to secure, especially amid the government shutdown. “We don’t have the means to support the type of finances or the type of bills that it’s going to take our city running.” Three months after the storm, just half a dozen businesses are open. “As soon as we had water that was safe to drink, non-boilable water, we opened," said David Kiser, owner of Caribbean Coffee. Although his customer base has changed, Kiser says business is booming. “Business is actually up over and over December and January than before the hurricane, Because the population of workers is more stable.” Right now, only about 400 residents are living in Mexico Beach -compared to the usual 1200. Most homes remain leveled with only the slab of concrete and piles of rubble left behind. Sitting 39 feet above sea level, Ken Chambers' home appears practically untouched. “I’m amazed that it’s still sitting there," said Chambers. The retired firefighter telling us, the location is the reason he bought his home 30 years ago. “Mexico Beach is still a beautiful beach, the town isn’t," said Chambers. "But they’ll change that in time.” Mayor Cathey estimates it will take about two years to rebuild the small town, telling us his number one priority is to retain the charm and character.