Heat, hunger, debris stress Floridians
Officials, volunteers working to bring relief
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| VIDEO |
 As aid arrives in Punta Gorda, residents help each other.
 Amateur video captures the fury of Hurricane Charley.
 Telephone service is returning to Florida.
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RELATED |
• Recovery process begins
• Charley's force a surprise
• Orange groves 'devastated'
• Battered churches make do
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| VICTIM AID | Those wishing to assist hurricane victims are encouraged to give cash donations. These organizations are recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency: American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund - (800) HELP-NOW; victims and family can call (866) GET-INFO Catholic Charities, USA - (800) 919-9338 Salvation Army - (800) SAL-ARMY United Methodist Committee on Relief - (800) 554-8583 Online: FEMA
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PUNTA GORDA, Florida (CNN) -- Floridians recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Charley coped with sporadic thunderstorms and sizzling heat Monday as the massive cleanup continued and the search for possible victims drew to a close in hard-hit Punta Gorda.
State officials said most of the 17 people whose deaths were blamed on the storm died afterward in traffic accidents or from heart attacks. Some were electrocuted when they drove over downed live power lines.
The latest estimate for the amount of damage is at least $11 billion, a number expected to rise as the cost is assessed.
The storm, which struck the southwest coast Friday and churned diagonally northeast across the state, was the strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida in 1992.
By late Monday afternoon, 796,000 homes and businesses throughout the state were still without power, Gov. Jeb Bush told reporters at a news conference. At one point Saturday, more than 2 million people were reported without power.
Electricity was expected to come back on by Thursday or Friday for most customers, although state emergency officials were giving no estimate for the coastal communities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte and the inland farming town of Arcadia.
People in those three cities were also told to continue boiling water before drinking it.
With temperatures in the 90s and a heat index of 100 or more, the absence of electricity and water and mounds of debris littering streets were causing rising tensions, said Sheriff William Cameron of Charlotte County. "It's starting to get difficult."
The Florida Department of Health said streetlights and traffic lights were still out in many areas. Trees, power lines and debris were strewn about many streets.
People who drive in damaged areas are taking a tremendous risk, said State Health Secretary John Agwunobi, warning that traffic fatalities and injuries "will be an ongoing problem."
Agwunobi also said those injured by the storms should go to first-aid stations -- even if they have only cuts or bruises, which could be infected.
The "medical system is hugely stressed," said Florida Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings.
About 2,000 people were still being housed in 21 emergency shelters in 11 counties, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency had begun the process of bringing in permanent housing for them, Bush said.
In Punta Gorda, which took a direct hit from the Category 4 storm, searchers found no one trapped in debris, although they did find some elderly residents still hiding in their damaged homes, said Wayne Sallade, director of the Charlotte County Office of Emergency Management.
More than 1,000 law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and search-and-rescue teams from across Florida came to Punta Gorda to help with the effort.
Charlotte County officials had no idea how many people lost their homes in the storm. Sallade said they won't know that figure until people sign up for emergency housing assistance.
Some 2,000 insurance adjusters were in the region Sunday afternoon and another 2,000 were expected soon, Jennings said.
Many people have winter homes in southwest Florida, and Sallade urged them not to come to the area to check on their properties because there was no place for them to stay.
"I know the desire to see your loss, but it's not going anywhere," he said.
Taxing conditions
Living conditions were taxing survivors' mental health.
Tami Wilson, who spoke to The Associated Press, cried to release some of the stress looking for food had created.
Wilson, 45, of Port Charlotte, picked up ice and water from a National Guard "comfort station" Monday as she bemoaned not having hot food or a shower since Friday.
"The hard part is not being able to bathe and not having food and water unless I go out and look for it," Wilson told the AP. "Last night, we almost gave up because it got so hot."
Dr. Gerry Ross of Charlotte Community Mental Health Services said others experience the same frustrations. "Many people out there can't get their basic needs met because they're so traumatized by what happened to them," he said.
The county is trying to set up crisis centers to help people cope.
Schools in Charlotte and Hardee counties are closed for two weeks, as officials try to figure out where to put students whose schools were damaged by Charley.
Some 5,000 aid workers, volunteers and National Guard troops have fanned out across the Punta Gorda area, providing food, water and ice for displaced residents.
A curfew was still in effect in the county from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Officials said only isolated incidents of looting have occurred.
Statewide, 114 food service operations and eight comfort stations have been set up, and FEMA has four disaster recovery centers open, Bush said.
He said his brother President Bush waived a regulation requiring Florida to match the direct federal assistance it receives for debris removal and emergency services, which will increase the federal government's contribution from 75 percent to 100 percent.
FEMA designated 25 counties eligible for federal disaster assistance. The move allows a quicker rush of funds and resources to the worst hit areas.
Economic impact
State officials also have been trying to assess the economic impact of Charley, particularly the effect the storm might have on the state's $9 billion citrus industry.
The hurricane's march across the state took it through prime citrus-growing territory, where about a third of Florida's crop is grown.
Trees were uprooted and oranges and grapefruit thrown to the ground, causing what Bush termed a "dramatic loss."
Terry McElroy, a spokesman for Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, said a firm estimate of damage won't be available until Tuesday at the earliest, though "I think we can safely say it's in the millions."
The storm destroyed numerous business and most likely left hundreds of thousands of Floridians jobless, said Susan Pareigis, director of the Agency of Workplace Innovation.
Special centers were opened Monday for people to file unemployment claims, she said.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
