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WILL VAN SANTThe county escapes the worst of Frances' wrath, yet thousands lack power, roads remain impassable and the Withlacoochee River rises higher Monday.
The sprawling tempest took no lives and caused property damage less severe than first feared, but Frances has proved a massive headache for Hernando County.
As of Monday night, some 23,200 homes and businesses were without power: 14,000 Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative customers and 9,200 Progress Energy Florida customers. Some may not see electricity restored for days.
The storm had dumped up to 10 inches of rain on some parts of Hernando, pushing the already swollen Withlacoochee River near its banks and setting the stage for future inland flooding this week.
Wiscon and Culbreath roads were submerged. More than 20 other roads across the county, including Fort Dade Avenue and Mondon Hill Road, were impassable because of downed trees and power lines.
Storm surge pushed gulf waters across several coastal roads and prompted an early morning evacuation order.
Without a reliable supply of electricity or the food to feed students, officials were forced to close county schools today. They hope to open them Wednesday.
When the eye of Frances passed just south of Aripeka and into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday night as a tropical storm, officials had hoped to begin cleanup at daybreak.
But the storm's slow-moving eastern bands continued to pound the county through the morning with winds that reached 60 mph, and efforts to restore order were stalled.
Emergency management director Tom Leto thought the worst had passed when he awoke early Monday to learn Frances still lingered just off the coast and that the National Weather Service projected 4 to 8 feet of storm surge was possible, with high tide on its way.
"By 4 a.m.," Leto said, "that baby was sitting there much more violent than we had anticipated. It's a rough business."
Sheriff's deputies went house to house in coastal areas and told residents to flee. They met with limited success. Fortunately, officials said, many had left earlier as Frances approached, and the surge was not as great as feared.
The coastal evacuation order was rescinded at 2 p.m.
Another evacuation order for mobile home communities, in place since Saturday, was lifted an hour and a half later after preliminary assessments found most homes intact.
While some mobile homes did sustain severe damage, little of it was structural. In High Point and Brookridge, investigators found that so-called "roof covers" had proved susceptible to winds. Roof covers are sheets of aluminum placed over a mobile home to keep interior temperatures cool and reduce the need to frequently coat roofs with sealant.
"They appear to be a problem," Leto said. "They acted like wings."
Leto said more precise damage estimates will be developed in coming days, and he expected the Federal Emergency Management Agency to decide soon what kind of aid Hernando homeowners will be eligible for.
The federal aid package almost certainly will include low-interest home repair loans from the Small Business Administration and could include small FEMA grants for immediate shelter needs.
Though no schools were damaged, some did have roof leaks and were without power Monday. Their food stores had been eaten by residents who had taken shelter at the schools.
Given the situation, and the fact that some residents were still in need of housing at nightfall, two public schools remained open as shelters Monday night: Upward of 100 people were housed at West Hernando Middle School, where special needs evacuees were sent, and 72 people remained at Moton Elementary School.
As county officials today find shelter for those still without housing, school district superintendent Wendy Tellone said schools would be restocked with food and cleaned before students arrive Wednesday.
Though pleased overall by how well the county and school district cooperated in the crisis, Tellone said providing shelter had put a great strain on district resources and workers. Both she and Leto plan to review their joint efforts during Frances to see where improvements might be made.
"We all need to learn," Tellone said. "We have not had hurricanes in a while."
Though Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative made progress throughout the day in restoring power, Progress Energy Florida had not begun repairs.
Progress Energy spokeswoman Deborah Shipley said damage assessment crews were just getting to the area and that she had no estimate of when power would be restored to customers.
Withlacoochee spokesman Ernie Holzhauer said his company hoped to get electricity back for all customers by Thursday. Areas northeast of Brooksville, he said, may have to wait longest for electricity.
As was the case with attempts to eyeball mobile homes for damage and clear roads, Holzhauer said Monday's continued foul weather had hampered efforts to get things back to normal.
"It's been very difficult," he said. "We have been fighting squalls and gusts of wind."
Even as the county begins to shake off Frances this week, more flooding is likely, officials warned.
The Withlacoochee River is expected to crest Thursday nearly 4 feet above its 12-foot flood stage at Trilby.
Although sandbag reserves were low, the Brooksville Fire Department is still giving them away. And county officials have put in a request to the state for 50,000 more.
Will Van Sant can be reached at 352 754-6127 or vansant@sptimes.com