Cost of preparing is too high for some

Bottled water supplies have disappeared from many Tampa Bay grocery stores. [Times photo: Dirk Shadd]

By WAYNE WASHINGTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 25, 1998

AMPA -- Don't wait until it's too late. Don't be irresponsible. Make sure you get your supply of plywood, batteries, flashlight, food and water, hurricane safety officials say.

More coverage from the Times on our Georges site.

But not everybody can drop into the nearest grocery and hardware stores and plop down the hundreds of dollars needed to buy all the supplies recommended. And make no mistake, it would take hundreds of dollars.

A two-week supply of water for a family of four would cost about $60. Canned food, included canned meat, would cost $170. A trip to the gas station to fill up the tank costs $14. Paper plates, plastic utensils, a metal can opener, candles, a cheap flashlight and batteries would cost around $20.

Grand total? About $264. And that does not include plywood to cover windows, something highly recommended.

Five sheets of plywood would cost around $100, pushing the total cost to $364.

Standing outside his home on E Second Avenue near Ybor City, Armando Diaz said Thursday that he wanted to get plywood to protect his windows.

"Some things you just have to do without," said Diaz, a roofer.

Surveying his block, which is dotted with older, mostly wood-frame homes, he added: "A lot of people around here can't afford that kind of thing."

Diaz and others of modest means aren't ignoring the potential dangers of Hurricane Georges. But they're not likely to be found crowding the aisles of Home Depot or waiting impatiently at Kash n' Karry.

Instead, they have bought what they can -- extra food and water mostly -- and are hoping for the best.

Some of Tampa Bay's poorest residents say hope is all they have.

Arthur and Luvern Brookins, who have lived in the same house on Fifth Avenue in Ybor City for 12 years, said they rely on government assistance for food. Their monthly supply is just about gone, they said, and they don't have the money to get more food before the end of the month. Going out to buy extra food or water is out of the question.

Tampa City Council member Gwen Miller said shelters are the extent of the help governments can extend in storms, though she wished more could be done.

"(Governments) need to plan ahead for times like this," she said.