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    Battered Florida counts the cost after Frances
    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2004-09-08 11:04

    Floridians began mopping up on Tuesday and counting the cost of Hurricane Frances' long, destructive path through the state, and thousands of people joined long lines for ice, water and fuel.

    Power outages affected 2 million homes and businesses -- about a quarter of the state's 16 million people -- and topped a list of concerns. Tanker loads of gasoline arrived but could not be pumped because there was no electricity at many gas stations.


    An aerial view shows a mobile home park surrounded with debris September 7, 2004 after Hurricane Frances hit Vero Beach, Florida on September 4. The U.S. Congress on Tuesday passed $2 billion in emergency spending to help hurricane victims in Florida, a crucial battleground state in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. [Reuters]
    Nearly 400,000 customers of Georgia Power, in Florida's neighbor state, were also without electricity, including about 270,000 in the Atlanta area.

    "Right now our big, big thing is life safety and getting water and ice to people. Once we get that under control, then we'll start looking at the long-term issue of recovery," said Joan Heller, a spokeswoman for Brevard County, one of the hardest hit areas on Florida's Atlantic coast.

    Heller said distribution centers for water and ice had yet to open, but people having to cope without air conditioning in the state's subtropical heat were already waiting in line.

    Frances, which at one point last week reached Category 4 strength with 145 mph winds as it roared through the Bahamas and bore down on Florida, petered out over Georgia and Alabama on Monday night after drenching the Florida Panhandle.

    The storm killed at least 10 people -- two in the Bahamas, four in Florida and four in Georgia -- smashed boats, tore roofs off houses, ripped away carports, tiles and patios, snapped trees, and downed power lines.

    'LOST EVERY SINGLE THING'

    Hundreds of Bahamians remained in storm shelters on Tuesday after Frances stalled over Grand Bahama in the 700-island chain and battered it with 105 mph winds last Friday.

    "We lost every single thing," said 70-year-old Grand Bahama island resident Rowena Saunders, standing ankle-deep in water outside her home. "We couldn't save anything at all. All my china, furniture -- everything is just gone."

    Florida's chief financial officer, Tom Gallagher, said initial estimates of the insured damage from Frances ranged from $2 billion to $4 billion for the state.

    That was less than the $7.4 billion in insured damages caused by the smaller but more powerful Hurricane Charley after it came ashore Aug. 13 on Florida's southwest coast.

    But Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson said Frances may have done more harm to the $9.1 billion citrus industry than Charley, which caused at least $150 million in damages after uprooting trees and knocking down fruit.

    The storm shut down large areas of the state over the three-day Labor Day weekend that normally represents a shopping and tourism bonanza for retailers and hotels.

    Economists said the blow to the state's economy would be swiftly overcome.

    Just over 100 shelters remained open, housing about 13,000 -- sharply lower than the day before as people made for home.

    Congress on Tuesday night approved $2 billion in emergency aid for the state run by President Bush (news - web sites)'s brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, and the president announced he would visit Florida on Wednesday.

    Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (news, bio, voting record), a Democrat, warned that his state may need around $4.5 billion in aid. "I want to remind my colleagues that we're not through yet," he said.

    Many in Florida began to warily turn their attention to a new storm, Hurricane Ivan, which was in the far eastern Caribbean on Tuesday.

    Gov. Bush said it was safe for people to head home. "We'll have a chance to prepare for the next one," he told reporters. (Additional reporting by Michael Peltier in Tallahassee, Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, Anna Willard in Washington, Michael Connor in Miami, Scott DiSavino in New York and John Marquis in Nassau)



     
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