Florida senior citizens struggling with power outages in Wilma's wake
MIAMI -- Mary Gaiter has high blood pressure, bursitis, arthritis, asthma, and a leaky heart valve. ''You name it, I got it," the 75-year-old widow said.
This week, Gaiter's biggest problem is Wilma.
The hurricane left her without power to run the oxygen she needs 24 hours a day, and Gaiter, who lives in a 12-story public housing tower for low-income senior citizens, was down to her last few portable oxygen units yesterday.
The White House asks Congress to transfer hurricane relief funds. A4.
Wilma placed an especially heavy burden on thousands of elderly residents in South Florida.
Some do not have electricity to operate lifesaving equipment; others are running low on food but their buildings' elevators do not work and they are too frail to walk down stairs to get something to eat.
Like Gaiter, 76-year-old neighbor Lourene Mack had to rely on a portable oxygen tank, and her battery-powered wheelchair was in need of recharging.
''I'm on my last three dots right now," Mack said. ''We need help in this building."
Four days after Wilma struck, more than 3 million people were without electricity in Florida.
The recovery quickened as the gradual restoration of electricity eased shortages of gas, water, ice, and food.
''We've made really good progress," Governor Jeb Bush said.
Long lines remained at gas stations, but more of them were open.
Oil companies provided stores with generators, and the state's biggest utility,
The power company said 47 percent of customers who lost service had regained power, but service remained out in almost three-quarters of heavily populated Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Officials said it could take until Thanksgiving week to restore all service.
The weather has been mercifully mild and dry since Wilma. But the heat and humidity are expected to rise in the next few days, making air conditioning necessary.
''If it happened in July, you would have had a lot of dead folks in here," said Mavis Easley, 69, who is blind and lives in Gaiter's building.
Representative Robert Wexler, Democrat of Florida, wrote to Florida Power & Light asking it to add senior citizen communities to the list of priority places for quick power restoration.
''We've got these seniors calling every single day that are desperate to get their power back on," said Lale Mamaux, Wexler's spokeswoman.
For many elderly residents, there was no relief. The elevator was out at a three-story complex in suburban Fort Lauderdale, stranding residents unable to use the stairs.
Hyman Tepper, 81, walked 3 1/2 miles to and from a grocery store that had little food.
''I've been eating pretzels and water," said Tepper. ''That's all I had."
Neighbor Irving Schwab, who normally uses a wheelchair, was forced to walk down two flights of stairs to go to a safer apartment.
''There was no choice," said his wife, Dorothy. ''He wasn't going to slide down the banister."
