‘This was all beautiful yesterday’

The storm obliterated the laundromat at the campground, peeled the roof off the gas station and restaurant and damaged or destroyed a number of onebedroom park models and mini-cottages, some recently purchased, said Erwin Jackson, a Tallahassee businessman who owns the property formerly known as Arrowhead campground.

Jackson bought the campground in early October 2018, just days before Hurricane Michael brought unprecedented destruction to the Florida Panhandle and Jackson County in particular. The hurricane caused $2.5 million in damage to the campground, but Jackson invested significant sums rebuilding and renovating, paying the last bill Monday.

“This was all beautiful yesterday,” Jackson said as he walked the property. “We actually had more damage with this than with Hurricane Michael. It’s unbelievable.”

The tornado knocked down large pines, one just missing the clubhouse where Keene and his sons took refuge, and left power lines and debris across about the property.

Jackson said crews would remove debris from fallen trees over the next couple of days and that the campground could be back in business within a week or so once power is restored. Just as he did after Michael, he said he plans to rebuild.

“There’s only one damn way and that’s forward,” he said.

Keene and others staying at the campground spent the day trying to salvage what was left of their belongings. His trailer camper was flattened, with appliances and electronics wiped out. But his wife, luckily, was out of town in the family’s pickup truck, leaving it unscathed.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@ tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.