People who lost their jobs because of the hurricane find most of the work on offer is construction or cleanup.
By SHANNON TAN
Published August 24, 2004
PORT CHARLOTTE - The hurricane took her three jobs and nearly destroyed her new home.
It left Gina Ferraro, 29, unemployed and living in a house with no electricity and fungus growing on what's left of the roof.
She showed up Monday at a job fair looking for something - anything - to replace her three waitressing jobs at restaurants closed by damage from Hurricane Charley.
"You would think with three jobs, I would survive," says Ferraro, who lives from paycheck to paycheck. "No such luck."
More than 350 people packed the job fair at the Career and Service Center of Charlotte County, only to find that most of the 1,000 job openings available involved debris cleanup or construction.
It was yet another blow to the more than 1,900 Charlotte County residents who lost their jobs because of the hurricane. Their homes destroyed and belongings ruined, they now may have to settle for low-paying jobs or work they never imagined doing.
"It's overwhelming," said Lela Turpin, 61, with tears in her eyes. She retired three years ago but now needs a job.
The insurance adjuster has not made it to her Port Charlotte home, so she paid for her children to come in from Texas and Indiana to clear the tree off her roof.
"There's lots of expenses," said Turpin, who used to work with special needs children. "Some things you don't have a choice."
Normally, about 10 people a day file for unemployment at the Port Charlotte office. Now, as many as to 80 people are coming in every day. A hotel resort in Captiva asked for 250 unemployment applications.
"We're looking for unemployment to peak" in six months, said Tracy Lansberry, director of programs at the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board. Charlotte County's preliminary July jobless rate was 3.9 percent.
Area restaurants and hotels are bustling because of the relief workers and cleanup crews in town. When they leave, even more people will be out of work.
Construction companies, however, expect to be busy for at least a year.
"I took an application for day labor at $10 an hour," said Ryan Eckenberger of Port Charlotte, who lost his jobs at an auto customizing shop and a restaurant. "I'm just hoping I can have something to go to next week."
Counties affected by Hurricane Charley will receive federal funds to create temporary jobs for displaced workers. Those workers can receive up to $12,000 in six months. But many of those jobs at public and nonprofit agencies will be clerical or physical labor.
"Right now, they're looking for people to do debris cleanup, roofing, plumbing, everything but what I do," said Mike Spencer, 26, who worked at a Port Charlotte mom-and-pop Internet business that was destroyed. His brother also lost his job of six years.
The business owner plans to file for bankruptcy. After leaving the job fair, Spencer planned to stop by Home Depot and Comcast to see if they were hiring.
"I didn't think we would lose our jobs," he said. "I thought we could pick up and relocate."
Still, the job fair wasn't a total loss. Spencer was able to apply for computer jobs at two companies. And other positions were available.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Charlotte Regional Medical Center also were hiring. Talk America was looking for sales representatives. Florida Department of Corrections had openings for corrections officers.
Several people, including Ferrraro, were just thankful that there was a job fair.
"You get depressed looking at the pile of rubble in front of your house," she said. "Plus the (career) center has air-conditioning."
