Emergency preparedness workers fight the strain of continuing the cleanup from Hurricane Frances while keeping track of the potentially more damaging Hurricane Ivan.
BROOKSVILLE - One needed to look no further than the county's Emergency Operations Center to understand the strain on residents' psyches Friday.
The center's phones rang all day with requests from people needing food, water and a place with air conditioning in the continuing struggle of Hurricane Frances' aftermath. But the weather forecast projected on the wall provided officials with a constant reminder of what difficulties may be ahead thanks to Hurricane Ivan.
"The community is very concerned," emergency management director Tom Leto said Friday evening.
Emergency management officials tried to strike a balance between focusing on the present needs of storm victims and preparing the county for a potentially rough week ahead.
Hernando County school officials announced schools will be closed Monday, in anticipation of the schools being used once again as hurricane shelters.
Power companies continued to fix outages from Frances and secure materials, fuel and additional workers in preparation for Ivan.
Progress Energy Florida reported that 2,340 customers lacked power as of 4 p.m. Friday. Company officials expected all outages to be restored by midnight today.
As of Friday evening, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative had 3,350 customers without electricity. Barring any significant setbacks, the power company said only a few customers would still lack power by the end of today. A new shipment of food and water was sent to the Masaryktown Community Center, which will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Officials also planned to store some MREs (meals ready to eat) and water to gear up for Ivan, said social services director Jean Rags.
Meanwhile, residents took storm preparation into their own hands, despite predictions that Ivan won't hit the area until Tuesday, if at all.
Across the county, traffic was snarled Friday afternoon as the long lines at gas stations backed up into the roadways. Pickup truck beds were loaded with plywood and sandbags.
Spring Hill Fire station No. 2 had a steady flow of residents already filling sandbags. Melissa Cromie and her father, Frank Cromie, never bothered with sandbags for Frances, but that was before floodwaters seeped through cracks in the foundation of their Spring Hill home and ruined the carpets.
This time, Mr. Cromie said "better safe than sorry."
The thought of more rain was worrisome for residents along the Withlacoochee River, which was expected to crest to 15 feet by this morning at the gauge at Trilby. The flood stage there is 12 feet, so moderate flooding is likely, according to the National Weather Service in Ruskin.
The floodwaters at Clay Sink Road and State Road 575 measured at 15.6 feet Friday, 2 to 3 feet over the bridge.
Despite the lingering effects of Frances, county officials said the storm did not cause substantial damage to Hernando County homes. The county knew of no homes that were completely destroyed, said David Millendorf, recovery and mitigation coordinator for emergency management.
He said about a dozen homes had structural or roof damage, and about half of those could not be lived in. Another dozen or two dozen homes had siding damage, he said.
The county's main concern continued to be those residents still without power, he said.
"Right now, we're trying to help the people that need the most help," he said. "Do we have everybody? No. Are we getting there? Yes."
Aiding county employees Friday were dozens of FEMA and Red Cross workers, who spent the day going door to door to assess people's needs. The most pressing needs were referred to the Emergency Operations Center for immediate attention.
Emergency management officials' other task Friday was maintaining calm in the face of an approaching storm. They recommended residents restock their battery and food supplies, this time getting as much as two weeks' worth.
Leto said the threat advisory committee will meet Sunday at 4 p.m. to decide whether evacuation orders and other storm plans are necessary. Larger counties like Pinellas and Hillsborough may announce their plans sooner, Leto said, but he asked local residents not to panic.
"They have a lot more people to move," he said, promising to issue instructions in plenty of time for residents to prepare for Ivan. "We don't want to make those reactions too early."
Projected path