AVONDALE, Ala. (WIAT) — As we await Hurricane Dorian to pass, many are wondering what the road to recovery will look like.

For the owners of the Thirsty Donkey in Avondale, starting from scratch is something they know all too well.

After living in Birmingham for 18 years, Greg and Kathy Stein decided to move to the U.S. Virgin Islands. The couple said they were pursuing their dreams of owning a restaurant on a tropical island.

In April 2017, the Steins moved to St. John, living in an apartment above their restaurant, The Thirsty Donkey. Four and a half months into their new lives, devastation tore through the island.

“It was fantastic, everything was going great. And then Irma hit,” said Greg Stein.

The Steins recall the days prior to the hurricane making landfall. Airline tickets skyrocketed to $11,000 for a one-way flight out of the island. Since their only option was to stay, they prepared as best as they could. The couple stayed with friends on higher ground in St. John. When the storm passed, they were able to check on their home.

“It looked like a bomb went off,” Greg said. “There was no roof. Our neighbors told us our roof was gone in the first 15 minutes of the storm.”

“And all the beams and everything fell into the apartment, so basically it was a couple of feet of water with wood and some stuff on top of it,” Kathy said.

It took the Steins three days to let their family know they were alive. However, the power was out and resources were few and far between. Their daughter, Kelsey, was able to evacuate them to Puerto Rico by boat. After two days, they had to evacuate again as Hurricane Maria barreled towards them.

Greg and Kathy said seeing the current devastation in the Bahamas is heartbreaking. They said people can’t understand that kind of loss until you deal with it firsthand.

The Steins spent two weeks stateside, but felt compelled to return to St. John and help in any recovery efforts they could. They opened a makeshift version of their restaurant, giving locals an escape from reality.

Greg and Kathy said rebuilding in St. John would have been difficult, so they decided to return to Birmingham. With the kindness of friends and family, the two were given a furnished house to live in, toiletries, plates, cookware and most necessities to regain some sense of normalcy.

When asked why they decided to reincarnate their St. John’s restaurant in Avondale, they said they didn’t know what else they would do with themselves back home.

The same way they provided an escape for locals after Hurricane Irma and Maria, the Steins want The Thirsty Donkey to provide that same escape for people from their day-to-day lives.

“[We want people to] feel like you’re on a little bitty vacation for that meal,” Kathy said.

Now, seeing the destruction Hurricane Dorian has caused, the Steins want to help. One of their specialty drinks is the “Irmaria,” named after the two hurricanes that destroyed the original Thirsty Donkey in St. John.

Starting this week, $1 from every Irmaria drink sold will go towards Hurrican Dorian relief efforts.