‘Washed away in an instant’: 62-year-old Daytona Beach Shores restaurant swept away by Hurricane Ian

A portion of a popular restaurant at the Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores was washed away by Hurricane Ian.

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Managers at Crabby Joe’s said the restaurant is holding on by a thread, with the dining room barely intact and most of the pier gone.

It has been difficult for employees to fully cope with what happened.

Read: Hurricane Ian: Video shows rough seas washing away part of Daytona Beach Sunglow Pier

Michael Lutrell, the assistant general manager, said he’s quite shocked by the devastation but that his top priority is making sure staff members are safe.

“Some of our staff have lost absolutely everything -- their homes, their cars, their place of employment,” Lutrell said.

Workers at the restaurant have rallied together to start again on a stronger foot.

Read: Hurricane Ian: How to take care of your mental health following the storm

Nicole Devane, the general manager, said that the team is in the process of getting the restaurant back up and running.

“It was very hard to look at it initially,” she said. “But we’re working hard to get it open and get all of our employees back working.”

While the restaurant begins the process of reopening, it has created two GoFundMe pages -- one for Crabby Joe’s staff relief and another for an employee who lost everything.

Read: As flooding recedes, is Central Florida prepared for a wave of evictions?

Click here to donate to the Crabby Joe’s staff relief page. Click here to donate to the Nichols Family

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