Schools are open and the power is back, but Hernando County officials still are juggling the lingering needs from Frances and preparations for the additional rain expected from Hurricane Ivan.
The County Commission will decide today whether to allocate nearly $5.4-million in emergency reserves for the county's Frances cleanup efforts.
According to George Zoettlein, the county's budget director, the cleanup will cost an estimated $4-million to $6-million, 87.5 percent of which could be reimbursed by FEMA and the state.
The county waste division did not issue a schedule Monday for curbside debris collection, but solid waste director Stephanie Burkhardt said the pickup likely will begin Wednesday or Thursday. The hardest-hit areas will be visited first, she said.
The contractor "will give ample advance warning for people to get their debris out," Burkhardt said.
Emergency management officials will field a conference call this morning with the National Weather Service to get the latest estimates on when local flooding might occur and how bad it will be.
"At that point, we'll issue the appropriate protective actions," emergency management director Tom Leto said.
A flood warning remains in effect along the Withlacoochee River. Waters have crested at the gauge at Trilby and should crest at Croom by this morning, meteorologist Jennifer Colson said Monday.
That doesn't mean local residents are in the clear, however. Ivan's massive strength likely will be felt in the form of rain bands that could bring the county another 1 to 3 inches of rain, Colson said.
If the rain falls on the river basin, "it will aggravate the situation," Colson said, causing floodwaters to remain around a little longer than forecasted.
Leto said many residents along the river appear prepared to deal with more flooding. But, just in case, county officials sent out a "code red" recorded phone message to selected residents to alert them of potential flooding mid week.
He suggested that residents be prepared to stay off local roads Wednesday, where some flooding is anticipated.
"Let's not stand down totally," he said.
Local school officials also are making decisions one day at a time this week. Hernando schools will reopen today after students missed their third day of school Monday for hurricane-related closures, having been out one day each for hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan.
The mostly sunny skies Monday may have had some parents wondering why their children were sitting at home, but superintendent Wendy Tellone said she didn't regret canceling classes.
That decision was made Friday, when county officials thought they might need six to eight schools for shelters again, Tellone said. Superintendents in Citrus, Hillsborough and Pinellas made the same call.
"When they have to use the shelters, we have no choice," Tellone said.
Even when it became clear this weekend that Ivan would take a more westward path through the Gulf of Mexico, Tellone didn't reverse her decision.
"It would have been impossible to communicate to all the families," she said. "It's been difficult for the families to get back on track with school (in the hurricane's aftermath). Hopefully, this maybe gave them a chance to get their lives back on track this weekend."
Makeup days had not been scheduled as of Monday, though Tellone said she would suggest building them into the lengthy Christmas vacation.
How Ivan might affect us