PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Hurricane Helene sent over five feet of storm surge into Punta Gorda, but a pub near downtown stayed dry, just as it has for over 100 years.
The Ice House Pub, located on Tamiami Trail and Virginia Ave, began operating as an ice house in 1901. Owner John Berry says Helene was a storm unlike any he’d seen.
“It was quite different from the rest of the hurricanes that we had been through," said Berry. "This became a flooding event, so we were certainly terrified of what was going to happen, but after it was all over, we learned that we could be the highest point in Punta Gorda."
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on how the pub avoided flooding in Helene:
Berry said the pub kept power thoughout the storm, so he watched the water overtake the streets through a security camera
"All we could do was just sit there and watch and hope that the water didn't climb,” he said. "The water did get to us, but it never got high enough to get inside of the building.”
The pub avoided flooding even as more than 1,900 structures across Charlotte County sustained major damage, according to Fox 4 meteorologist Katie Walls.
“It is amazing, but we certainly feel bad for everyone else going through what they went through,” Berry said. “We had very close friends that live here, and they got flooded, and it’s not a fun thing, by no means.”
Just 13 days after Helene, Hurricane Milton also hit Southwest Florida. Berry said the Ice House again avoided any serious damage.
“So, then two weeks later, Milton came, and there was nothing from that either,” he said.
The Ice House Pub originally operated as a working ice house from 1901 to the mid-1970s, producing massive 500-pound ice blocks before later shifting to smaller cubes.
Berry said the building’s endurance through more than a century of storms adds to its local lore.
“Well, until something really happens, we're definitely confident,” Berry said. “I mean, we have had our share of troubles, but the damage of the building, not so much."
