Nearly a week after Hurricane Charley smashed into southwest Florida and tore a path of destruction across the state, the recovery effort is still a mix of hard work, confusion, compassion and exploitation. As of Thursday, 22 Floridians were dead, 335,000 lacked power and an estimated 36,000 had been made homeless by the storm. Good Samaritans are out in droves augmenting disaster relief efforts, doing the sort of grunt work many people expect their tax-supported government agencies to do. Predators are also out in full force. Residents complain of being gouged for everything from home repairs and building materials to temporary lodging and gas.
However frustrating it has been, it's worth noting the recovery was made more difficult in part by where Charley blazed through Florida. The storm took out coastal cities with sprawling suburban centers, hitting many retirees before moving into already-wet inland areas, where many residents also are elderly and live in mobile homes. The widespread damage to cheap housing stock and the number of victims isolated in rural areas pose organizational challenges to emergency relief efforts. Emergency workers are now delivering aid to shut-ins and public transportation is offering rides for people who can't get to shelters on their own.
Still, it is troubling to hear that many victims went unaided for days, and however heartening to see, the level of assistance from churches, charities and other private individuals raises the question of whether the government should have prepared to do more. What hurricanes do, every year, should not be new to Florida. State and federal officials have come a long way in the decade since Andrew and have done a better job of quickly moving in essential supplies. But there is more to be done.
Officials also need to be more aggressive in cracking down on fraud and abuse. We applaud state Attorney General Charlie Crist for cracking down on price gouging. His office is currently investigating 1,459 complaints, and the lawsuits it filed Tuesday against two hotels for allegedly overcharging guests should send a strong message. State officials also reacted quickly to the complaints by migrant workers that they were strong-armed by a Lee County mobile home park. Officials said they would provide assistance to migrants regardless of one's immigration status. Authorities need, in the weeks and months ahead, to watch property managers, insurers and other professionals as much as retailers and the construction industry.
The recovery is entering a new phase, as many of the last residents return home and the focus shifts from survival to getting one's life back to normal. Federal disaster assistance is starting to flow, temporary housing is being trucked in, power companies hope to restore most service by the weekend, mail delivery has resumed in some areas and several large Florida employers are raising emergency cash assistance. Even prison inmates are helping. The outpouring impresses - but it also instructs, like cleanups before it, how Florida can better prepare the next time around.
