MIAMI -- As the devastated Florida Keys began reopening to residents who fled Hurricane Irma, officials warned the returning islanders to take along enough supplies to sustain them for a while because no one knows when water and electricity will be fully restored.
"The Keys are not what you left several days ago when you evacuated. Electricity, sewer and water are intermittent at best," said Monroe County Mayor George Neugent during a news conference Saturday.
Officials reopened U.S. 1 on Saturday all the way south to Marathon for residents, business owners, disaster workers and supply trucks. They also announced plans to let the same groups have access all the way to Key West starting at 7 a.m. today.
Recovery efforts are well underway with the Salvation Army planning to serve 5,000 barbecue dinners Saturday night in Marathon and Key West, marking the first hot meals for many since Irma made landfall nearly a week ago.
Click here for larger versions
Photos by The Associated Press
Photos by The Associated Press
Roads were being cleared and recovery centers are being set up in the area to help residents fill out Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance and small-business relief paperwork.
Officials had agonized over the decision to reopen the islands, knowing that residents were desperate to assess the damage with their own eyes, yet worried about the harsh living conditions for those who returned.
Curfews remained in effect, and returning residents received a clear message from Keys officials -- you must be self-sufficient. They encouraged residents to have tents, small air-conditioning units, food, water and medications.
Officials said their detailed hurricane plan didn't account for some unique challenges posed by Irma, which nearly wiped out parts of the middle Keys, while Key West remained in decent shape.
Getting Key West residents and businesses owners to the southernmost point remained a challenge as authorities worked to keep out tourists, gawkers, looters and others who could hamper recovery efforts.
Nearly two dozen checkpoints in the hardest-hit areas will be heavily staffed with law-enforcement officers to check IDs and ensure that only authorized residents and relief workers get through.
Meanwhile, officials said they hope to open government offices, courts and schools in the Keys on Sept. 28.
Farther north in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, students in two of the nation's largest school districts still don't know when they'll return to class, forcing many Florida parents to juggle child care as they head into a second week of recovering from Hurricane Irma.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties had hoped to resume operations Monday. But dozens of schools in the two districts -- which serve almost 700,000 students -- are still without power. An announcement is expected this weekend.
The uncertainty put additional stress on parents trying to return to work.
For Lori Eickleberry, 45, who owns a psychology practice with two offices in south Florida, it means taking her 10-year-old daughter to work with her.
"It's challenging, but we kept busy with activities, some coloring," said Eickelberry of Coconut Grove.
A Section on 09/17/2017