Oct 31, 2005 11:26 am US/Eastern
Wilma Limits Trick-Or-Treating In Fla.
MIAMI (AP) ―
Lingering safety concerns a week after Hurricane Wilma struck meant a curtailed Halloween on Monday for most South Florida children.
Government officials urged parents to not let their children trick-or-treat after dark because of power outages and fallen power lines that still affect much of the area a week after the storm struck. And even in areas with lights, debris is piled high in front yards, making walking after dark dangerous.
"If your kids don't need to go door to door trick or treating this year, they probably shouldn't," Miami police Lt. Bill Schwartz said Monday. "If you can find an alternative like a mall, we highly recommend it."
But 13-year-old Redge Allen of Plantation said he planned to go to a nearby Halloween party in spite of the police recommendation.
"It's just debris," said the seventh-grader, who might dress up as a soldier. "You just walk around it."
Public schools in Broward County were closed through at least Wednesday and in Miami-Dade through Tuesday. Palm Beach County schools were closed through at least Monday. The school systems planned to decide later when to reopen.
Some 74 percent or roughly 2.4 million of the 3.3 million people who lost power after the hurricane were back online Monday morning, Florida Power & Light said. But the company, state's largest electric utility, said some areas might not get their power back until Nov. 22, two days before Thanksgiving.
The Lower Keys and Key West reopened to tourists Monday. Previously, only residents were allowed in the area.
One sign of progress was the disappearance of hours-long gas lines that plagued the area and frustrated residents in recent days. Though some gas stations were still closed, many were back up and running.
The state listed about 1,500 people still in emergency shelters Monday, most in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.
A citrus industry group said Monday that Wilma will cause the loss of $180 million worth of Florida's citrus crop, including nearly half of the grapefruit crop, according to preliminary estimates.
The death toll from Wilma climbed to 21 in Florida during the weekend, state officials said. Six people died in traffic crashes and three deaths were blamed on carbon monoxide.
Wilma, the eighth hurricane to strike or pass by Florida in 15 months, came ashore Oct. 24 on the southwest coast and then cut across the peninsula.
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