Florida roads clear, but 'life's not easy'
Nearly 400,000 still don't have power after Charley
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 Hurricane Charley's impact on citrus crop will be felt for years.
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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) -- The scars left by Hurricane Charley's sweep across Florida are not likely to disappear soon from either the landscape or the minds of Floridians, who are slowly picking up and moving on in the storm's wake.
Almost 400,000 electric customers remained without power Thursday, nearly a week after the hurricane moved across the state. Three hospitals along the storm's path are now fully operational, while three more are open only for emergencies.
Emergency crews have cleared all the roads, including the Blind Pass Bridge that leads from Sanibel Island to Captiva Island, the barrier islands Charley hit first before slamming the mainland at Punta Gorda with 145-mph winds. In most places, water is flowing, albeit at a lower pressure than normal.
The damage is severe -- $7.4 billion in insured properties alone, according to the Insurance Information Institute, and state agriculture officials put the loss to Florida's citrus crop at $150 million.
Officials issued a first estimate of $500 million for the damage to public facilities in Charlotte County.
And if that's not enough, continued storms have followed Charley's heavy rain, leaving several rivers in the area with flood warnings -- adding to the woes of people left to face the August heat with no electricity for air conditioning.
"It's not easy. Life's not easy," said Gary Paro, picking through the remains of his mobile home in Punta Gorda, north of Fort Myers.
American Red Cross workers pleaded with residents -- particularly the elderly -- to come to shelters where they can get food, water, cool air and help for dealing with what's left of their homes.
"We have a lot of able-bodied young people just waiting to help them that will go to their homes with them," a Red Cross spokeswoman said.
Charley swept into Florida on Friday, raking a northeastward path across the central counties of DeSoto, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, Osceola, Orange and Seminole before leaving the state for the Atlantic through Volusia County and Daytona Beach.
The count of storm-related deaths grew Wednesday to 23, according to a Florida Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman.
Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Eugene Brezany said that so far more than 60,000 people statewide have registered for assistance in the aftermath of the storm and officials have approved $7.5 million in aid, including $4.5 million for housing.
Thaddeus Cohen, Florida's secretary of community affairs, said the cleanup "is moving steadily."
"We have an army of people working out there," Cohen said.
Despite the progress, the blow to the state's economy, particularly the citrus industry, will be felt for some time. Florida groves produce 96 percent of the country's orange juice, and the industry employs 90,000 people.
Power crews were working 24-hour days to replace poles and re-string power lines.
Florida Power & Light Co. officials said 113,000 of its homes and businesses remained without power Thursday morning, down from a peak of 874,000. More than 53,000 of those customers were in Charlotte County, which includes Punta Gorda, and another 28,000 were all the way across the state in Volusia County, where rain has hindered progress, the company said.
Utility spokeswoman Kathy Scott said parts of Charlotte and DeSoto counties may not see electricity come back on until August 29.
Another utility, Progress Energy Florida, had more than 114,000 customers still without service in the central and eastern counties around Orlando and Daytona. Orange, Seminole and Polk counties were hardest hit.
Smaller municipal power companies and electric cooperatives made up most of the rest.
Meanwhile, about 4,000 National Guard soldiers handed out ice and food, and state and federal agencies joined their local counterparts to provide necessary shelter and medical care.
In all the chaos, officials said that crime has been low. Overnight, Punta Gorda Police Chief Charles Rinehart said, there was one arrest -- an armed man who "decided to take it upon himself to patrol the neighborhoods" after curfew.
"Just stay home and let us do our job," Rinehart said. "Make it easier for us."
Officials also tranquilized and relocated a black bear that wandered into Punta Gorda overnight, said Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County director of emergency services.
"He was also arrested for violating curfew," Sallade quipped.
