After the hurricanes: Ordeals persist

After hurricane Charley peeled off roofs like a can opener, Beverly Gill's home in Punta Gorda was both flooded and powerless. Suddenly, the simplest parts of her daily routine - such as bathing - were formidable challenges.

"Now I get so excited about the little things," says the schoolteacher, who has resorted to showers without hot water. "An ice-cold shower used to sound awful, but now it sounds so cool."

As Florida residents battle to recover from three powerful hurricanes in one month, they find hurdles - many unexpected - that are testing their grit and wits. Although people across the state had braced for disruption as well as destruction, millions have now realized that they couldn't fully envision the storms' aftereffects. In many cases, that has meant living without things that most 21st-century humans consider necessities, such as a shower, flushing toilet, and an air conditioner on a sultry 95-degree day.

It has also meant running into challenges that are seemingly far removed from the hurricane paths - such as high prices on some items at the grocery store and a revised school calendar for many students.

Indeed, Florida's educational system has already felt a big impact from the hurricanes. Because schools are often used as hurricane shelters, many closed days before a hurricane struck. That's even in areas where hurricane winds ultimately didn't hit, such as Tampa. Some school and university closures were so long they seemed like Christmas breaks.

Some schools ended up losing as many as 13 days to Charley, Frances, and Ivan. So now, students and teachers face an extended school year and loss of holidays. One St. Petersburg teacher who enjoyed the time off with her newborn son says, "I don't want to lose a Thanksgiving holiday," which is one of the options that her school board is considering.

Volusia County in central Florida is spreading the makeup time throughout the school year by extending school days by seven minutes and eliminating early-release days.

In addition, Florida teachers are pleading for a reprieve from the state's controversial FCAT exam, upon which Florida schools are graded and funded. Teachers in St. Lucie and Marion counties say they don't have time this school year to prepare students adequately for the crucial test, but the state Department of Education isn't budging.

"We are being flexible and sensitive to the counties affected by the hurricanes, but doing away with our accountability measures we believe would ... send the wrong message to say that student achievement is not going to count this year," said Frances Marine, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, told The Palm Beach Post.

The hurricanes have even affected the state's already stressed education budget - oddly enough because of the closure of lottery outlets and convenience and grocery stores during the storms.

Forty percent of Florida Lotto revenue goes toward education, but state lottery sales dropped by $13 million during the month of storms, compared with the same period last year. Florida educators are now faced with finding funds elsewhere.

Such financial effects are being felt in many sectors. Everything from homeowners' association fees and power bills to the cost of grapefruit juice is expected to rise at least temporarily.

In cases such as the seafood industry, the losses are proving to be a double whammy. Fishermen have lost more than a month's revenue, and their inability to fish now because of damaged equipment and facilities threatens to increase the price of Florida seafood, at least temporarily.

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