Leeville, La. - There are two ice chests keeping Pappy's Place open right now, one made of Styrofoam.
Harris Ebanks lost his coolers when more than two feet of water filled the Leeville bar. Ebanks spent the last week scraping out the mud, determined to reopen after Isaac.
"I lost three major pieces of equipment totaling about $4500 all in one shot," he says.
Ebanks didn't expect so much water from a Category 1 storm like Isaac. But he's cleaned up many times in the 10 years he's owned the bar.
It flooded during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Gustav and Ike in 2008.
A FEMA assessor came out Monday to inspect the damage caused by the latest storm.
"I hope I get enough to buy my stuff back," says Ebanks.
With so many storms impacting the area during the last decade, business owners in Leeville say rebuilding is almost routine. But it's never easy.
The storm surge ruined most of the equipment at Leeville Seafood Restaurant. Owner Harris Cheramie has been through this before.
"It's usually the mud is the worst part of it, but this time we didn't have too much mud," says Cheramie. "Maybe a couple inches. The last storm we had maybe a foot of mud. "
Cheramie hopes to reopen the restaurant in two weeks.
Back at Pappy's Place, Ebanks is ready to serve even though he's still cleaning up.
"I'm staying here as long as the good lord gives me health and enough people to keep this open," he says. "I'll be here a long, long time."
