Hurricane Ian: Nebraska couple’s Florida restaurant destroyed

A Nebraska couple in Flordia is trying to recover after a hurricane
Published: Oct. 1, 2022 at 5:30 PM CDT

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WOWT) - A Nebraska couple who moved their Waterloo restaurant to Fort Myers is slowly picking up the pieces.

Tj Holzapfel provided new images of where his restaurant Rude Shrimp used to stand.

Now it’s nothing but rubble.

Tj gave an account of what the destruction was like.

”The road, it’s anywhere to three-to-six feet of sand so you have to have an SUV or four-wheeler to get down the road,” Tj said. “So for those who don’t understand, it would be the equivalent of the Vegas strip covered in sand and all of the casinos are completely gone.”

“We appreciate all of the support from Nebraska we’re just happy to be somewhere with power and shower.”

Tj and his wife Lisa Lahners opened the restaurant in March. They say they are relying on their Nebraska roots to stay strong.

The couple says they do plan to rebuild their restaurant and home.