Posted on 08/22/2004 8:58:48 AM PDT by dukeman
CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Vincent and Mary Panettieri helped make Charlotte County into what it was before Hurricane Charley.
In the wave of blue-collar retirees with a passion for bingo and sunshine, they were among thousands who, in the 1970s and '80s, chose Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda over pricier Florida destinations to the north, south and east.
"We're using our kids' inheritance," Vincent, 89, says in a stage whisper, quoting the classic bumper sticker that has graced many a Charlotte County Cadillac or Buick over the years.
Now the Panettieris are part of another movement, this time an unprecedented exodus of senior citizens from their hurricane-ravaged homes.
In their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s, these normally self-reliant seniors have been forced out of retirement paradise, many of them ill-equipped to deal with Charley's legacy: damaged or destroyed homes, lack of electricity or phone service, toilets that don't work, unrelenting heat.
How local, state and federal government agencies, along with private relief groups, deal with people like the Panettieris is likely to define history's view of Hurricane Charley.
Every natural disaster teaches a hard lesson. Just as Hurricane Andrew, the last monster storm to strike Florida, taught Florida about the need for safer buildings and tougher construction codes, Charley will educate us about our successes and failures in caring for our elders before and after a devastating storm.
So far, the report card is mixed.
Relief has been flowing in at an astonishing rate, along with thousands of volunteers to aid the elderly, restore power and provide meals, water and repairs.
After riding out the storm, the Panettieris were quickly and comfortably sheltered at a school in Englewood, nearly 20 miles from their Port Charlotte condominium.
"In a situation like this, everyone has to rough it some," Vincent said.
But there have been plenty of glitches. Some seniors were turned away from a shelter before the rapidly intensifying storm hit, because there wasn't enough room. After the storm, officials have struggled to find room for those displaced, bouncing some elderly residents from shelter to shelter.
Other seniors have been confused about where to find their doctors, get prescriptions refilled, or get vital cancer or kidney dialysis treatments.
Experts on aging say it's critical to explore every success and failure and apply the lessons to the rest of the state. Otherwise, Florida risks repeating mistakes as its population, along with the rest of the nation's, becomes more like Charlotte County's every year.
"It's an unprecedented learning opportunity," said Larry Polivka, a top researcher on aging issues at the University of South Florida.
At the same time, though, it's a heart-wrenching drama, as people who have survived the Great Depression, World War II and other challenges face one of their toughest hurdles yet -- rebuilding in the twilight of life.
Many in this generation are determined to endure. For others, Charley has set them on an uncertain journey.
"A lot of us are holding our breath," Polivka said. "It's a very difficult situation."
A vulnerable population
When the last major hurricane to slam Charlotte, Donna, hit in 1960, fewer than 13,000 people lived here. Air conditioning and the mass marketing of single-family lot developer General Development changed that.
The Panettieris moved to Charlotte nearly 27 years ago, having both retired from supermarket jobs in New York. They're part of the reason that when Charley hit, Charlotte's population was nearly 155,000, with 34.7 percent of the people 65 and older.
That makes it the oldest county with more than 100,000 people in the nation. In comparison, 17.6 percent of Floridians are age 65 and over.
Charlotte's median age is 54.3, compared with 38.7 for the state and 35.3 for the nation.
The county also has a higher percentage of older people who are disabled -- more than a third of the population over 65.
So although Charley followed a path similar to Donna's, it was covering new ground. A devastating hurricane has never hit an area with such a proportion and concentration of elderly, experts say.
Andrew, the storm with which Charley is most frequently compared, hit a more mixed, working-age area in South Florida, said Dario Moreno, a Florida International University researcher who is studying the hurricane's impact on Charlotte. Plenty of seniors also subsist on Social Security and little else.
"Seniors were hit hard by the storm," he said. "They're vulnerable in terms of their fixed income, and their ability to move around is limited."
Older people who wanted to seek shelter had few options. Because the county's low elevation makes it prone to flooding, Charlotte has no hurricane shelters.
Disaster experts say it's unsafe to lure people to shelters that could be in danger during a storm. But in Charley's case, flooding wasn't the problem; high winds were.That put the people of River Haven Mobile Home Park, a community for people 55 and over in south Punta Gorda, at risk. Nearly two dozen residents took refuge in the park's clubhouse, a building that has no windowless rooms.
The roof peeled off and the windows blew out.
"They're lucky to be alive," said park resident Paul Wyn, 73.
Between 600 and 700 people crowded into the Cultural Center of Charlotte County, in central Port Charlotte. The building was designed to hold up to 500.
Other people were turned away from the county's one center designed for people needing special assistance, such as oxygen and insulin. About 140 people had signed up for the special needs shelter; there was enough room for 100.
"A lot of people were frightened enough that they came in early," said Dr. Joe Goggin, the Charlotte County Health Department's director of administration. "We had no more room."
The rest were sent to shelters at the Cultural Center and Port Charlotte Middle School.
Sheltering has also been a problem since the storm passed.
The Panettieris stayed in their powerless condo the night after Charley swept through, and cooked Italian sausage over a Sterno flame.
Mary, 84, said she couldn't see because she has poor vision.
"The hallway was long and very dark," she said. "That's my problem."
With the food spoiled, no air conditioning and no way to cook, they headed for the post-storm shelter in Englewood, about 20 miles away.
"Everything is different," said Vincent, who uses a cane.
They had a hard time getting onto the low mattresses spread in rows across the school gym. Vincent also misses his spaghetti and Scotch.
Other than that, they don't complain.
"I don't have to cook," Mary says, smiling.
But this weekend, the Panettieris and scores of other displaced seniors are moving out, to make way for the school to return to its designated use.
Hanging in there
Experts on aging worry that the disruptions will take a toll. The tent cities that housed many families after Andrew aren't considered an option for Charlotte's population. The trauma of the storm, moving to shelters and the fact that some elderly residents may not ever be able to return to their homes, is a recipe for depression.
"It is difficult to house the elderly in a group setting," said Terry White, secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. "Some people have refused to leave their homes because it's the only thing they have left."
But staying home is dangerous, too, because of the heat and other hazards.
White has recommended that Gov. Jeb Bush send more crisis counselors in coming weeks. But Polivka, the USF Policy Center on Aging director, said the state is woefully unprepared for what's ahead. He estimated that less money is available for mental health services today than 20 years ago.
"You're going to have real problems with depression, helplessness, anxiety and fear," he said.
Jane Icely, director of healthy aging services at Senior Friendship Centers in Sarasota, likewise warned of a crisis as many of the volunteers from elsewhere in Florida return home.
At the L.A. Ainger shelter, several people were playing cards or even dancing.
"We were depressed for a couple of days," said Shirlie Bernard, 75, who lived in the Maple Leaf Estates mobile home park in Port Charlotte that was heavily damaged. "But our spirits are up because we're going to rebuild."
River Haven residents plan to rebuild, too.
"This is a beautiful park," Wyn said. "It will be again."
Wyn's wife, 67, feels the strain. She has three stents in arteries to aid circulation to her ailing heart. She takes nine medications for various ailments, including diabetes. The heat is debilitating.
"It's a lot of stress because of the people here who have lost everything," she said, talking about the destruction of homes. "I feel so fortunate -- and guilty -- because we can live in ours."
Wyn has been able to find, and see, her physician.
Other elderly residents aren't so fortunate.
Tom Rice, chief executive officer at Fawcett Memorial, said many residents' care for chronic conditions has been disrupted by the widespread devastation to doctors' offices and health clinics.
"On the first weekday after the storm, people had doctor visits and (medical) procedures scheduled," he said. "A lot of people showed up looking for prescription refills, antibiotics, saying, 'Where do I go for my chemo?'"
Many of these patients couldn't contact their physicians because phone service was out. Patient records have also blown away.
"We have a staff of 280 doctors," Rice said. "It's easier to count those who still have an office than those without. People don't know where to find a doctor. For older folks especially, that is a big stressor."
Health officials also worry about River Haven residents such as Curtis Worley, 75, and Spencer Bailey, 79. Worley works in the broiling sun to try to keep his house from leaking. Bailey has tried to help with the cleanup, though he has Alzheimer's disease and severe blockage in his arteries.
"We carried buckets of water from the swimming pool to flush the toilets," Bailey said.
The River Haven residents and health care officials say the cooperation among relief groups and volunteers has been remarkable. They said the work has helped head off a more serious disaster after the storm.
"It's so rewarding to see how people have poured out to help," said Jean Kline, an Indian River County state health worker who is overseeing the special needs shelter operations in Sarasota and Venice. "Of course, organizing that support is always a challenge."
For some elderly, the challenges have included navigating congested roads without traffic signals, for miles late at night, for kidney dialysis.
For others, it has meant scrambling to find oxygen tanks, or ice to keep their insulin cool.
More seniors may get sick in the coming weeks if, because of the devastation, their routines have been disrupted and they've forgotten to take medicines.
Researchers from USF and Florida International University plan to study those and other issues to improve future disaster responses.
It only sems that way.
Wow, a natural disaster strikes Southern Florida and happens to hit old people. Who could have predicted that?
Anyone wondering what career path to choose---think about "elderly care" (aka = geriatrics). Over 55 folks are both independent and also as "dumb as teen-agers".
They can make do on their own, and also believe that they are 'invincible'.
Here's a career challenge for people who want a job in the 'caring professions'.
Yes, my wife and I are dealing with a senior care issue right now within our family. Although they need medical attention, my elderly in-laws are loathe to go to the doctor (independence + "thriftiness" + stubbornness + even more stubbornness). It's a looooong story, but the result is that my father-in-law is currently in the hospital receiving constant IV fluids while people stand around wondering how this could have happened.
Amen,to that statement....Having lived without power for seven days here in Orlando, in 94+ degree weather it was hell!
Our prayers go out to folks in Osceola, Polk and Charlotte counties who are still without A/C.
They've got it pretty bad down in Charlotte County.
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