Wallet-Wrenching Weather

CLEARWATER - Buying 21 sheets of plywood and emergency hurricane supplies took every dollar of John Nies' and Mary Henry's savings and took their credit cards to their limits in August.

The Clearwater couple were forced to scrap their plans for a modest wedding.

With Hurricane Charley approaching Florida, they decided that protecting the house they had purchased five months earlier for $88,000 and securing provisions for their three children and two dogs were more important than their nuptials.

Every year, emergency management officials urge Floridians to assemble disaster supplies kits and buy the items necessary to secure their homes before hurricane season starts June 1.

Many, such as Nies and Henry, who are both employed, struggle to pay for the basics. Others can't afford them at all.

``The plywood cost me $287,'' said Nies, 44, a hydraulic seals salesman.

``If a storm had really hit us, we would have been destitute,'' said Henry, 32, a veterinary assistant. ``We had no [cash] reserve. All our cash went to food and supplies and filling the gas tanks.''

For most Floridians, no government assistance is available for acquiring hurricane provisions before a storm.

The little grant money earmarked for helping individuals prepare for the storm season is paltry compared with the more than $4 billion spent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on relief and rebuilding efforts in Florida after the four hurricanes that battered the state last year.

``There is just not funds available to do those kinds of things [before a storm]. You don't go spending taxpayer dollars on hurricane supplies,'' said Mike Trimpert, chief of planning for Hillsborough County's emergency management division.

``How do you qualify people for that? How do you go about qualifying somebody who says they can't afford batteries for the radio or food?'' Trimpert said.

Affording The Supplies

Last week, Hillsborough County began distributing tens of thousands of copies of its annual free hurricane guide to libraries, post offices and governmental agencies.

The guide contains a list of items for a disaster supplies kit, which includes one flashlight and seven sets of batteries for each family member, water for three days, nonperishable food for two weeks, coolers for ice and food, a plastic tarpaulin, tools, screening and more.

Plywood and generators are not on the list, which is similar to those distributed by county governments statewide.

For a family of four without special needs, an infant or anyone using prescription medication, the cost of the disaster supplies recommended by Hillsborough is about $400, if purchased new.

The items can be purchased at a small discount June 1-12, when Florida will waive the 6 percent state sales tax on most storm supplies.

Shirley and Matthew Parks, a St. Petersburg couple in their 50s living on a fixed income, said they would welcome more government assistance for hurricane provisions.

Free supplies ``would help me have enough [money] to evacuate,'' Matthew Parks said.

It is likely that no Florida county has an assistance program to help residents prepare for a hurricane, said Mike Stone, spokesman for the state's Division of Emergency Management.

Charlotte County, where catastrophic damage was widespread as a result of Charley, has no plan to help its needy residents.

``If people call up asking to put up storm shutters or plywood, I have nowhere to send them, no way to help them,'' said Gerard Mallet, emergency management coordinator for Charlotte County.

``If they need personal items, I'd send them to human services. This hasn't been discussed, and there are no financial resources for it.''

In the past year, Volunteer Florida, a state agency that coordinates and develops volunteer programs, awarded new ``emergency prevention and readiness grants'' of $18,000 each to 16 faith- and community-based organizations.

None is in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas or Polk counties.

Volunteer Florida's money came from a $644,000 federal grant to be used for assisting people with disabilities, those with language barriers and disadvantaged families, said Wendy Spencer, chief executive officer of Volunteer Florida.

Preparing people for a hurricane ``is a big, growing problem, one that we are just starting to look at, because the people who need this stuff the most can't afford it,'' Spencer said. ``We're always encouraging people to get prepared, but we should find a way to help them. There isn't much in place now.''

Only two of the organizations that received the $18,000 prevention and readiness grants, both in Palm Beach County, plan to use the money to buy disaster supplies for needy residents, Spencer said.

The other groups, Spencer said, will use the money to educate and identify ``those people lost in the cracks.''

Florida is not alone in its lack of funding or planning dedicated to preparing residents for a hurricane.

Emergency management officials from South Carolina, Georgia and Texas said their states offer no formal assistance to individuals who can't afford supplies.

Lea Stokes, a Mississippi spokeswoman, said her state's emergency management division offers help only by contacting charity groups affiliated with the state on behalf of residents who request storm readiness assistance.

``We act as an active liaison,'' Stokes said. ``There is no state money, though.''

Work Together, FEMA Urges

FEMA awards local government agencies grants for preparedness. Often, though, the money goes to fire departments and law enforcement, which use it to ready their departments to respond to a disaster.

FEMA does not have programs that dispense supplies or money directly to individuals, spokesman Marty Bahamonde said.

Bahamonde said his agency recommends that people on a tight budget prepare for a hurricane by forming neighborhood groups that will share supplies and work together during and after a storm.

``Doing it as a unit can make people responsible for a lot less, and there really is safety in numbers in this situation,'' Bahamonde said.

Last week, Pinellas County government officials explored for the first time ways to provide free disaster supplies, plywood and more to low-income residents.

``I think we all recognize the need,'' county Commissioner Ken Welch said.

Marcia Crawley, a county spokeswoman, said the logistics of collection, storage and distribution of supplies is one of the greatest challenges of launching such a program, along with determining who would qualify for free or discounted items.

``This is all just in the idea stage at this point,'' Crawley said. ``But we are confident we could collect a lot of supplies donated by residents and businesses. The community would respond to this.''

Driving around Clearwater in the days before last year's hurricanes helped Jeffrey Camden realize how many people need assistance to ready their homes and families.

``So many had makeshift protection on the windows - particle board, tape, things leaning on the houses, windows partially covered,'' Camden said. ``You could tell people were doing the best they could with the resources they had.''

Working then as Clearwater Fire Department's education coordinator, Camden counseled many residents who had questions about ensuring their health and safety during and after the storm.

``The people know they are not prepared, many for their medical needs,'' Camden said. ``Most people can't afford a hurricane. Buying plywood and supplies cost me $400 that I really couldn't afford.''

Reporter Steven Isbitts can be reached at (727) 451-2336.