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Hurricane Wilma

S. Floridians coping in long week of darkness

Florida's largest utility is telling customers that it could be Nov. 22 before power is fully restored across the area.

WILTON MANORS - Pat and Jenny Pearce's suburban Fort Lauderdale home looks like a camp site as they cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma.

The couple, both in their 60s, have a camp stove in the kitchen, two lanterns in the living room, a portable television in their bedroom and several battery-operated radios.

"I miss not having a hot shower," Jenny Pearce said. "But what can we do? We could sit around and cry about it, but instead I prefer to go to the mall."

Florida Power & Light, the state's largest utility, had restored power to 60 percent of customers who lost electricity because of Wilma by Saturday morning, spokesman Tom Veenstra said.

Still, 473,800 customers in Broward County and 358,900 in Miami-Dade County were still without power, and the company was telling people it could be Nov. 22 - two days before Thanksgiving - before electricity would be fully restored across South Florida.

This long, dark time has has upended everyday life.

"I'd kill for a hot dog and a cup of coffee. My stomach is hurting because I haven't had a warm meal," said Barbara Berger, 66, who has been living on canned fruit and tuna since the storm.

Residents have been cooking on charcoal grills and grocery shopping every day so food doesn't spoil. Many people are going without clean clothes.

Others, such as Robert Hammock, a 42-year-old computer programmer, have been washing their clothes in the sink.

"It's just some laundry soap and a lot of elbow grease," Hammock said during a three-hour wait to get gasoline.

Wilma was the eighth hurricane to strike or pass by Florida in 15 months. It came ashore Monday as a Category 3 storm on the southwest coast and was a Category 1 or 2 as it slammed through Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Hurricane Katrina was a Category 1 storm when it came ashore in August between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, but it didn't cause nearly as many problems.

Wilma's large size and wind gusts of nearly 115 mph caused widespread damage, said Jack Beven, of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

State officials reported Saturday that 21 people in seven counties have died since Oct. 21 from storm-related injuries.

Gasoline lines were still long in some places Saturday, but far shorter than they were earlier in the week. Publix, which operates 635 stores in Florida, listed just two closings because of Wilma - one store each in Boca Raton and Coral Springs. More than 50 stores were operating on generators and selling nonperishable foods only.

Broward County was still under an 11 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew. Miami-Dade County officials, who earlier lifted a curfew for the popular nightspot South Beach, were considering whether to lift the curfew for the rest of the county. Neither county knew when it would reopen schools.

Wilma also has affected upcoming elections in South Florida. Gov. Jeb Bush ordered that municipal elections set for Tuesday be rescheduled, including the Miami mayoral race.

The lack of power caused many residents and businesses to make adjustments.

Jack Mays moved his Wilton Manors barbecue restaurant to the parking lot outside, where he cooked 100 cases of ribs and 400 chickens on two large grills over the past three days.

Since his Miami meat suppliers have been low on fuel, he has been meeting them halfway each day and hauling back the beef and chicken in his car.

"We've made it to where it can work," Mays said.

[Last modified October 30, 2005, 01:12:10]