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Thousands wait out hurricane in schools, churches

Nearly 15,000 people in five counties stayed in shelters. Pinellas saw a far smaller turnout than during Charley.

The charcoal gray fedora perched on his head was the first clue he was different from everyone else. There was also his white short-sleeved dress shirt, crisply pressed trousers and polished black shoes. At his feet was a small briefcase that contained what was important to him right now.

Two clean sheets.

John Wanio sat erect in the middle of a half circle of Hurricane Frances evacuees staring blankly at a TV in the cafeteria at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg.

Hopkins had taken in 183 people since Saturday, many of them homeless, and Wanio said he was afraid to get up for fear of losing his chair to one of the young men circling nearby.

"I'm going back to New Jersey at the end of this month," said Wanio, 91. He has lived alone in Florida for 20 years after a career as a machinist and has ridden out several storms, including Charley.

"But it's time to go back," he said. "Ivan's coming, and that's my name in Polish."

They arrived with decks of playing cards, their favorite pillows and varying degrees of apprehension.

About 5,200 people in Hillsborough County, 3,500 in Pasco, 3,500 in Pinellas, 1,600 in Hernando and 1,000 in Citrus - nearly 15,000 people in all - decided to give in to Hurricane Frances and stay in a shelter. Many stayed two nights.

With mandatory evacuation orders in effect for mobile home residents in Hillsborough, people flocked to the county's easternmost shelters, filling some to capacity.

Marshall Middle School in Plant City opened as a shelter on Friday, then shut down Saturday morning due to inactivity, only to be reopened at 8 p.m. Saturday when demand for space soared.

At the registration table inside Marshall's band room, people filled out paperwork near a row of lockers used to store musical instruments.

They carried jugs of water, cans of soda and plastic garbage bags filled with blankets and pillows that appeared to have been grabbed straight off their beds at home.

Some pillow cases were embroidered, others had been crocheted with colorful yarn or trimmed with delicate lace.

In Pinellas, many shelters reported hosting slightly fewer people than they did during Charley, but this time, many more were elderly.

"We have about 200 people here," said Meadowlawn principal Greg Cardone. "And many of them are elderly people from mobile home parks who just didn't feel safe."

State officials said that as of 9 p.m. Sunday, about 3,500 people were in shelters, far fewer than the nearly 9,000 Pinellas residents who checked into shelters during Charley.

"The numbers were lower," said spokeswoman Crystal Pruitt, "because in Charley, we issued mandatory evacuations for flood zones A, B and C as well as for manufactured and mobile homes."

During Frances, Pinellas issued mandatory evacuations only for residents of mobile homes, manufactured homes and anyone in recreational vehicles. Those in low-lying areas were given voluntary evacuation notice.

For most evacuees, the stay was uneventful. There was usually hot food and a dry place to sleep. But power was lost at Turkey Creek Middle School in Plant City and many who were staying there elected to leave.

The power also went out at Kennedy Middle School in Clearwater. But workers hooked up emergency generators for more than 200 people inside, many of whom were classified as "special needs" because they needed oxygen or other medical monitoring.

With limited lighting, the school's hallways stayed dark and many napped through the afternoon on cots or blankets. Those with ongoing medical needs stayed in the school gymnasium, illuminated by a single large light that cast stark shadows across the floor.

The scene was "chaotic and safe," said Vera Craig, 76, a retired secretary from Clearwater who had spent the night curled up on a workout pad on the gym floor. On Sunday afternoon Craig was hooked up to an oxygen connection she has needed since getting pneumonia. Even though the gym wasn't comfortable, she gladly chose it over her mobile home.

Rich and Jan Augello deserted their mobile home in the High Point area of Hernando County about 8 a.m. Sunday when they and 30,000 other Hernando utility customers woke up in the dark.

By late morning, power crews were working to restore their power. Then, the lights flickered inside the shelter at Fox Chapel Middle School. A backup generator kicked in enough power for the Augellos' reading to continue, but television screens went blank.

"We are going to ride it out," said Jan Augello, 67. "You don't have too many choices."

Bruce Davis, 61, is getting a little tired of shelter living. He stayed at Meadowlawn Middle School in St. Petersburg during Charley. On Saturday, he packed up and went to Northside Baptist Church.

"At least Charley was quick," Davis said. "We were only there 24 hours. Who knows how long we'll have to be here this time."

For many people, going to a shelter meant returning to a place they hadn't been in decades - a school.

"I hope you come back sometime when the children are here," Cathy Sykes, assistant principal at Meadowlawn Middle School, told Anna Skindzier, 86, who had left her St. Petersburg mobile home for the safety of the school's chorus room.

Times staff writers Carrie Johnson, Duane Bourne and Bill Varian contributed to this report.