PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla., Aug. 16 -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency opened its doors here Monday to the victims of Hurricane Charley, as rescue workers continued to sift through the rubble and thousands of homeless scoured the region for bare necessities such as ice, gasoline, water and food.
Surrounded by scenes of devastation and operating on little food themselves, public leaders pleaded with residents for patience. They were fearful that the heat, inconvenience and trauma of the past several days will make for a potentially dangerous post-hurricane period if people begin fighting among themselves or try to move power lines without waiting for utility crews.
Boats litter the shoreline of Charlotte Harbor in Punta Gorda., Fla., three days after Hurricane Charley tore through the region.
(Paul Lamison -- Tampa Tribune/AP)
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_____Photo Gallery_____
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Hurricane Charley Hits Florida: Hurricane Charley hit Florida on Friday with more force than predicted, leaving thousands homeless.
_____Dangerous Storms_____
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Hurricanes Compared: See how Charley compares with major storms over the past 10 years.
_____How to Help_____
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From FEMA: Some recommended charitable organizations.
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Fla. Begins Recovery From Deadly Storm (The Washington Post, Aug 16, 2004)
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For Devastated County's Retirees, a Paradise Is Lost (The Washington Post, Aug 16, 2004)
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Everything Must Go (The Washington Post, Aug 16, 2004)
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Calm Befalls the Storm (The Washington Post, Aug 16, 2004)
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Three days after the worst hurricane in 40 years struck southwest Florida, several barrier islands off the coast near Fort Myers remained closed to all but emergency vehicles. Although most of the damage on the exclusive islands was to trees and vegetation, Sanibel Island Mayor Marty Harrity said residents have been prohibited from returning to their homes because of uncertainty about the structural integrity of four bridges.
"Nothing is going to please me more than to say, 'Guess what, folks: We're going back to paradise,' " he said from an improvised city hall at the Fort Myers Holiday Inn. Harrity later said residents would be allowed to return Wednesday morning.
By the numbers, the situation on Day Four looked like this: 19 dead, 4,000 National Guardsmen activated, 25 counties declared federal disaster areas, 21 shelters with space for 2,500 people, eight Red Cross mobile kitchens, 2,000 insurance adjusters on the ground, 22,000 applications for FEMA relief filed and an estimated 120,000 Floridians out of work.
"We're thinking possibly hundreds of thousands" have been thrust into unemployment because the hurricane and tornados destroyed so many businesses, said Susan Pareigis, director of Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation.
Local officials said there had been several arrests in recent days of people who had turned to fisticuffs in their frustration after the storm.
"As this goes on, tempers are starting to flare," said Maj. John Davenport, chief deputy of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. "We're going to see more domestic issues, people taking the law into their own hands."
Power was restored to two hospitals in this coastal community -- one of the hardest hit in the state -- though across Florida 800,000 customers remained in the dark and utility officials said it will likely take weeks to rebuild the electric grid in some neighborhoods. Schools in Polk and DeSoto counties are closed through Friday, Hardee and Charlotte schools until at least Aug. 27. In at least three counties, early voting for the state's Aug. 31 primaries has not begun.
Insurance industry officials estimated the damage at between $10 billion and $14 billion. FEMA announced it had allocated $10 million for travel trailers and $10 million for mobile homes to meet a request for housing for 10,000 people.
Although thousands still struggled with daily needs of food and shelter, officials began to turn their attention Monday to the longer-term challenge of rebuilding communities from scratch. At the heart of the effort is FEMA, which dispatched more than 800 people to Florida, many to the Harold Avenue Recreation Center on the edge of Port Charlotte.
"This is one-stop shopping," said FEMA spokesman Jay Eaker, as staff members began to set up tables, chairs and computers. In the coming days, representatives of several state and federal agencies would be available to "handcraft a long-term recovery package" for each person. Depending on a person's situation, hurricane victims may be eligible for assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, the Agriculture Department and other agencies.
On the highways and airstrips, help poured in. The Pentagon's giant C-17 aircraft flew in ice and water, and caravans of utility crews, police cruisers and fuel trucks arrived from every direction.
Yet the devastation wrought by Charley made it difficult for even the rescue teams to operate. At the community center, FEMA crews installed telephone lines but were awaiting a satellite truck to plug them into and a generator to power the building. Staff members lent out the FEMA flashlight so people could navigate the pitch-black bathrooms.
