Weather
Hurricane Irma Aftermath: 10,000 People In Florida Still In Shelters
FEMA Administrator Brock Long said the agency's mission is shifting into recovery process mode.
MIAMI, FL — About 10,000 people in Florida remain in emergency shelters in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said Friday morning at a press conference.
The E. Darwin Fuchs was the only shelter remaining in Miami-Dade County as of Thursday. It's the shelter of last resort. It's housing about 200 people, including those who can't get back to their homes in the Keys.
Long said that the government response to Hurricane Irma has shifted from saving lives to one of beginning the long recovery process. He added that good progress is being made in getting people back into their homes or into temporary housing such as apartments or hotels. (For more information about the recovery from Hurricane Irma, subscribe for free to the Miami Patch and receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you're outside of Miami, find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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Watch: Hurricane Irma's Destructive Journey By The Numbers
The Miami Herald reported that residents of Big Pine Key will be able to pick up free ice Friday at the local Winn-Dixie on 251 Key Deer Blvd, at 1 p.m. The report also notes that the Coast Guard has warned boaters to stay out of the waters in the Key West area.
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Federal officials are focused on restoring electrical power and getting gasoline into areas suffering fuel shortages. Long said the lack of electricity has affected fuel supplies because many gas stations haven't been retrofitted to run their pumps on generator power.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who appeared with Long, urged people still without electricity in Florida and other affected states to be patient. He said the severe damage from Irma's winds will require that parts of the power grid to effectively be rebuilt.
Perry said 60,000 utility workers from U.S. and Canada are in the disaster area working to get power back on.
Photo credit: Emily Michot/Miami Herald via AP
