Recovery Still ‘Facade’ in Florida By Traci Matt STAFF WRITER They closed Disneyworld three times. They resulted in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s largest deployment in history, including 9-11. They set weather records dating back over 100 years. They forced evac- uations, caused power outages and con- tributed to more than 60 deaths. And Charley, Frances and Ivan did more than devastate Florida’s citrus and tourism industries—they impacted every aspect of the state’s economy. Rebuilder Ron Davis, owner of B & M Starter and Alternator Service in Pensacola, Fla. said he is experiencing “survivor’s guilt.’ His business had only light roof damage and went without util- ities for two weeks. But the swath left by hurricane Ivan in September is evident all around him. “By the grace of God we were spared the worst of it. Overall I don’t have any- thing to complain about,’ said Davis. “The worst part is the debris. Much of the damage was caused by trees falling. There wasn’t an acre in this state that didn’t have vegetation damage.” Davis said that although Florida has fallen off the media’s radar screen in lieu of election coverage, the recovery process is still in full swing. “In some places things seem almost normal, but it’s just a facade,” he said. “We have power and water, the air conditioning is back, there are no long lines at the gas stations anymore. Everything seems to be OK, but the enormity of damage that this area has withstood is unbelievable.” Coastal infrastructure and real estate devastation caused by the 30-foot storm surge are two areas that will take months—if not years—to set right. The waves in the bay “blew the bridges apart” and although one bridge, one way, is now up, there is still tremendous traf- fic congestion. “T found myself completely stressed out the other day and realized it was because of the horrendous traffic,” i ap ae. se Soe Se Jacksonville, Fla. was hit by two of the three storms resulting in double the inconvenience and double the clean-up. Lf a A i — = =i “In Haiti, van killed over 1,000 people and hundreds or thousands more have no shelter or food, or any way to get help. Many more of the ‘survivors’ will die too. When you consider that, we are lucky.” Bob Thomas