Spurred by Charley, county, aid groups focus on long-term recovery

For each hour Hurricane Charley spent over Southwest Florida, there were months of recovery.

Though the storm swept through the area in a matter of hours in August 2004, many people were left homeless or out of work, conditions that lingered long after the first waves of aid were gone.

A long-term plan wasn't in place to help them then, but should another storm strike, the county and a group of nonprofit agencies are taking steps to ensure there will be this time.

The Long Term Recovery Committee, a partnership of the Lee County Department of Human Services, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other aid groups, was born in the wake of Hurricane Charley and is drafting a set of guidelines for ongoing disaster relief for future storms.

Patricia Howell, the department's disaster recovery coordinator, said the document should be ready to be distributed to aid agencies by July, one month into the 2006 hurricane season.

"It's in the works," she said. "We have a rough draft of guidelines and plans based on people's experiences. The goal is to have a solid plan in place and a back-up plan."

The plan thinks long-term: jobs, housing, social services.

"Sometimes it takes years," Howell said of the time it takes for a region to fully recover from a disastrous storm.

Before Charley, there were documents that dealt with the "sticks and bricks," she said.

Evacuation plans and emergency preparations were in place.

But without a recent hurricane upon which to base a strategy for what came after the storm, many people were caught off guard.

There were the elderly and people on a fixed income to think about. The disabled. Renters.

Some people had no insurance. Others had a little, but not enough even for materials to repair their home, Howell said.

Storm victims, particularly the elderly, were taken for thousands of dollars by fly-by-night contractors, she said.

"I'm sure they didn't think it was going to happen to them, I don't think any of us do," she said. "We certainly learned our lesson."

While the committee's plan concerns itself with what agencies should be doing after a storm, residents should be considering their own long term plans too, Howell said.

They should know what agencies to contact if they need help, she said. Homeowners should talk to their insurance companies and consider who they might hire to do contracting work.

Should another disaster strike, nonprofit agencies like the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Catholic Charities and Project Hope will work side by side under the plan to offer aid.

Each has had a role in developing the document.

Bob Soter, division director for community outreach for the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board, praised the thought the plan gives to where FEMA trailers might be located and its examination of infrastructure in the area as forward-thinking.

Global Positioning System mapping software now in use by the department of human services also will allow them to get specific about who needs aid, he added.

Using data from the 2000 U.S. Census, the department used the technology to map areas of the county that could take longer to recover from a storm's damage, taking into account factors such as high concentrations of those with disabilities or without transportation or adequate income.

Among the areas seen to be at high risk: an area of Bonita Springs bordered by Old 41 Road on the west, Interstate 75 to the east and Bonita Beach Road to the south.

Soter said his own agency's part of the long-term plan is regulated by state guidelines.

What aid is given will depend on the severity of the next storm to hit, and the governor declaring a state of emergency for the region, as Gov. Jeb Bush did after Hurricane Charley.

Curt Bradbury, of the Workforce Development Board, said after that storm more than 300 people in Charlotte County got help through temporary jobs under a National Emergency Grant.

Slightly fewer looked for help after Hurricane Wilma struck the region last year.

Under the grant, those who lose their jobs due to a hurricane can be eligible for up to six months of work or $12,000 laboring at humanitarian or cleanup efforts in their area.

Following a storm, information about the program is given out wherever FEMA is working.

The temporary measure is meant to hold over people out of work due to the disaster. Those who need assistance finding a permanent post can be placed through the board's dislocated worker program, he said.