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More to do on storms

The government needs to ramp up its response to last week's tornadoes in Central Florida. While state and local agencies did a good job in the aftermath of a "supercell" storm that killed 20 people and left hundreds homeless, the need now is for stable housing, emergency cash and other basics that will give survivors some sense of order.

Gov. Charlie Crist was especially helpful by rushing aid to the area and keeping the disaster on the public radar. This brought an urgency to the recovery effort in the first few critical days. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is helping the four counties hit by the storm, expanded aid Wednesday to Lake, Sumter and Volusia counties. It also is working to get money more quickly into people's hands. By late Thursday, FEMA had dispersed nearly all the $1.9-million in aid it had approved. Crist activated a short-term loan program to give businesses in Volusia "bridge" financing to overcome any cash-flow problems arising from the loss of property or inventory.

These efforts help, but there still is basic work to do. In Lake County, the hardest hit, workers have removed 32,000 cubic yards of debris. But there is 200,000 more to go. Most rebuilding cannot begin until this debris is moved away. More resources should go to the cleanup effort. Lake officials also complain work is being delayed because of legal barriers to accessing private property. That is senseless in a declared disaster zone where speed affects public welfare and safety.

FEMA also needs to get trailers to the area. The agency said this week that the area had enough apartments and other temporary housing but that it would provide trailers should the state request them. The state should. In the last few days, a fuller picture of the devastation has emerged. In Lake alone, the number of homes listed Friday as damaged or destroyed, 553, is two-thirds greater than the estimate earlier in the week. Not only has the amount of property damage doubled, there is also a cultural aspect, with many survivors insisting on staying put during the rebuilding process. Residents already are putting travel trailers on their property rather than escaping to rental housing. If survivors are staying anyway, FEMA should ensure these trailers are clean, modern and safe.

The counties have learned practical lessons about managing their emergency response. Agencies from four counties are working in Lake to help meet the demand for services and to foster regional planning for the future. With taxpayers on the hook to rebuild much of these communities, Crist and state lawmakers should see the danger in allowing homeowners to gamble with high deductibles as a means to lower their property insurance premiums. That would only compound the misery for those in the weakest position to recover from such a tragedy.

[Last modified February 9, 2007, 22:43:40]