MAYPORT, Fla. – Businesses are still recovering after Hurricane Matthew, but some made it out of the storm better than others.
Popular Singleton's Seafood Shack in Mayport saw several feet of storm surge flood the area and sweep the restaurant's dock away.
The owners opened the restaurant Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the hurricane.
"It's been exhausting trying to take all the plywood down, cleaning everything up,” owner Dean Singleton said.
But now it's back to business for the restaurant, which is right on the water and surprisingly survived Hurricane Matthew.
"Everything in here was just like we left it -- no water, no anything,” general manager Tonya Sexton said.
Pictures posted to social media showing several feet of water flooding the area had Sexton and Singleton fearing the worst.
"I was just terrified and scared to death, just the way that it looked on the news,” Sexton said. “It looked like we were gone. It really did."
Singleton said he thought his seafood shack was going to be underwater.
But the flood waters never made it inside this restaurant. The owners said they boarded up windows and created a barrier to keep the flooding out, and it worked.
Out back, however, Hurricane Matthew made his mark.
"The docks are completely gone,” Singleton said.
The back area of the restaurant is roped off after chunks of the dock swept away with missing wood panels.
Singleton said the docks bring a lot of business, attracting boaters along the St. Johns River, so the damage will have a negative impact the restaurant's bottom line.
But all-in-all, the owners said they're just glad no one was hurt and that they still had a restaurant to come back to.
"We're blessed. We got blessed for sure, seeing all the devastation in St. Augustine, Flagler, it's just terrible,” Singleton said.
"Just being thankful, very thankful for what we still have,” Sexton said.
The owners said that as far as the docks go, their insurance company won't cover the cost for a new one.
They're already in the process of repairing and rebuilding it and said they're going to be out $50,000.