News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 44

NEWS-PRESS, TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1992 77 7 wmm mm NEW BABIES Births up sharply as Andrew howls fit By KATHY BECKER News-Press Start Writer 4' Into the Naples Community Hospital emergency room, one in an ambulance, already in labor. None of the babies born Monday were given the name Andrew, he said. Parents of one of the boys born in the morning had planned to name their child Thomas Andrew, but changed their minds. One baby, a 5' -pound boy, was born at Lee Memorial Hospital's HealthPark at 6:27 a.m. The baby was about a month early and his mom had been in labor since Sunday.

Lilly Cifaldi, who is already a couple weeks overdue to deliver her baby, thought she finally had the right combination, having missed another believed birthing time the full moon. She came to Naples Community Hospital at 4:30 a.m. with contractions. But the baby was not ready, hurricane or no hurricane. "No baby today," she said.

Staff writers Laurie Windhamand Tim Engstrom contributed to this story. Hurricane Andrew arrived Monday and so did 1 1 babies. Do you blame it on Andrew? Eight women gave birth at Naples Community Hospital in a 13-hour period Monday. At least two mothers gave birth at Immokalee High School while taking shelter from the storm, and a woman at Lee Memorial's HealthPark in Lee County gave birth a month early. Some believe that the low barometric pressure in a hurricane will Induce birth in pregnant women, but some doctors are skeptical.

On the previous Monday in Naples, six babies were born the entire day. "There Is a theory about babies and hurricanes," said Marvin C. Cecil, a vice president at the hospital. "I don't know if anyone has proven that." Within about three hours Monday morning, six pregnant women came JOHN SEVERSONNews-Press" Power lines fall on U.S. 41 east of Naples Monday during Hurricane Andrew.

RUN: Trees are scattered like litter, some homes badly damaged From Page 1 Guard station and Southwest Florida Regional Airport. At 11 a.m., the county closed the Cape Coral Bridge because of the high winds. But other bridges, including the Sanibel causeway, remained open throughout the storm. The only injury reported in Lee County was a bump on the head of Lee County sheriff's deputy Donna Chuffo. As of 8 p.m.

Monday, the eye of -the storm was near 26.1 north lati-1' tude and 84.9 west longitude, of-about 410 miles southeast of New0 Orleans. The hurricane was moving at nearly 18 mph with maximum; sustained winds of 140 mph. A gradv. ual turn to the west-northwest wasf expected today, and some strength-, ening is possible. nards had been spun across the neighborhood.

Jack Page, 84, felt lucky. His mobile home suffered only two broken windows, the result of flying debris from his neighbor's roof. Page also lost his gutters, but he was philosophical about the damage. "This is just play compared to that," he said, gesturing toward the row of homes that had been ripped open. Many Naples residents weren't waiting until today to get started on the cleanup.

In the rain Monday, Bob Jack of Chesapeake Avenue was outside with his wife, Linda, picking up tree limbs and sweeping up pine needles. "We couldn't stand to look at it," Jack said as he hauled a piece of plywood from a window to the garage. "Less than 12 hours ago I was working to put these up," he said before recalling the high winds of just a few hours before. "It was scary at times the oP freight train." Enjoyed the storm But his children, Robbie, 8, and Lindsey, 5, enjoyed the storm and Its diversions for the most part. "They spent a lot of time in a closet watching a battery-powered TV," Jack said.

"We gave them a flashlight it was like camping out" Robbie didn't admit he might have been scared, but he did say he liked the high winds. "I liked watching the wind push the trees real hard." Florida National Guard Troops and Florida Highway Patrol Troopers were assigned to help Collier sheriffs deputies patrol residential and commercial areas and direct traffic. Lee Countians prepared for the worst from Andrew, but happily settled for much less. "We're very fortunate," said Lee County Transportation Director George Crawford, whose crews were picking up storm debris Monday afternoon. "Things look pretty good." Damage in Lee County was limited to a few downed power lines, spot power outages and a few uprooted trees, Lee County Public Safety Director Roger Desjarlais said.

Rainfall was minimal, and there was no flooding. In fact, Desjarlais said, the greatest destruction apparently was to the many campaign signs that dotted yards throughout the county. At 7:30 a.m., about 3,000 people were in the six Lee County shelters which had a capacity of 22,000. Throughout the day those numbers dwindled, and all the shelters except Sunshine Elementary were closed at 3:30 p.m. Only Three Oaks Elementary, the shelter closest to Bonita Springs and-Collier County, filled up.

By 10:30 a.m., wind gusts of 55 mph were recorded at the. Coast video cameras to film several boats that had sunk. Trees were scattered about like litter after a picnic, some blocking roads and driveways. Sod was pulled up like carpeting around tree roots where trees had toppled over. Some windows were blown out in beach high rises, leaving vertical blinds to flap in the wind.

By 4 p.m., people walked, drove cars and rode bicycles around the island to survey the damage. 75-mph winds Sustained winds reached 75 mph, with gusts of 100, at Naples where mobile home parks seemed to suffer the most damage, and more than 20 of the light-weight aluminum homes In Rlveria Colony were bent or mangled. On some homes, damage was dramatic the roofs were peeled back, carports were collapsed and the In REPORTERS at News-Press Staff Writers Kara Bauder, Peter Franceschina, Laura Goldberg, Jim Greenhill, Kevin Lollar, David Milllron, Betty Parker, Larry Perl, John Shiftman, Laurie Windham, Pete Winton, Cathy Chestnut, Steve Bailey, Lara Gold, Kathy Becker, Andrea Pearl, Tim Engstrom, Denes Husty, Mary Hawk, Stephanie Green and Myke Mallano contributed to this report. ft 13 WHERE TO FIND HELP Here are some phone numbers to get help dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew: Assistance To get emergency assistance or to volunteer money, help or supplies In Collier, call the Collier County chapter of the American Red Cross at 261-8903 or the Lee County chapter at 278-3401. I To apply for federal or state emergency assistance call (800) 462-9029.

Price gouging I If you feel you've been the victim of price gouging in Collier, call the Collier County Emergency Operations Center at 774-8444 or the sheriff's department at 774-4434. Health I For concerns about contaminated water or other health issues in Collier, call the Collier County Public Health Unit at 774-8200, or 657-3663 in Immokalee. The Collier County Public Health Unit will open today and will offer tetanus and diptheria shots for anyone who is injured during the storm clean-up. Debris I Call the Lee County Department of Transportation at 936-8671 if you live in the unincorporated part of the county to report if a tree or debris is blocking a county right of way. In Collier, call the county Transportation Services Administration at 774-8191.

Miami information I For information on the well-being of relatives in the Miami area, call the Citizens Information Center, (800) 682-3362. HOW TO COPE Here's how to deal with the effects of the storm: Government offices I All Southwest Florida government offices, public schools and airports are scheduled to be open and operating normally today. I The U.S. Postal Service will be operating normally. Colleges I Classes at Edison Community College campuses In Lee and Charlotte counties begin today.

The Collier County campus will remain closed until officials can assess the damage there. I The University of South Florida Lee County branch also begins classes today. Garbage pickup I Some residents of unincorporated Lee County will have slightly altered trash pick ups this week because Monday collections were canceled due to Hurricane Andrew. Normal collections will resume next week. I Residents whose garbage normally is picked up Monday, will get their garbage collected Thursday.

Their normal Thursday horticultural waste collection will be delayed a week until Sept. 3. I Residents whose recyclables were to be collected Monday will have to wait until next Monday. I Residents with Tuesday and Wednesday garbage collections will remain on their same schedules. I In Collier County, the landfill will be open at 7 a.m.

today so that residents may carry debris to the dump. Trash pickup will resume today but people who missed their pickup on Monday will have to wait until the next regular pickup date in their area. Insurance I If your property has been damaged, contact your insurance agent as soon as possible to begin the claims process. Many agencies will have emergency disaster teams on the way to help handle these claims. I Make a list of destroyed household contents "and supplies you have to buy.

If possible, take photos of all the damage to your house and property. Insurance hot lines: State Farm (800) 326-2431; All State (800) 767-9717; Nationwide (800) 421-3535; Progressive (800) 274-4499; GEICO (800) 841-3000; Aetna (800) 238-6225; Travelers (800) 842-6516; Independent Fire (800) 255-2475; Unisun Insurance Co. (800) 462-6342; USAA (800) 531-8222. Repairs I The state Department of Professional Regulation says people who need repair work should be beware of unlicensed contractors seeking large down payments before doing repair Jobs. DPR Secretary George Stuart said homeowners should call his department at 1-800-342-7940 If they have questions.

Shelters I All shelters in Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties have been closed. I The only shelter open in Lee County today Is Sunshine Elementary School at 601 Sara Ave. S. In Lehigh Acres. Windows I After removing adhesive tape from windows, you may find glue residue left on the glass and wood frame.

Remove this by spraying the residue liberally with a petroleum-based pre-wash spray. Let it set and then scrub with nylon net. A temporary way to weatherproof cracked panes of glass is to use quick-drying glue or clear shellac. Apply one or two coats with the end of a toothpick along the crack lines inside and out. If any windows have been broken, be careful when picking up broken pieces of glass.

Wear protective gloves and pick up smaller pieces of glass by using a wad of masking tape, wet paper towels or wet newspaper. Do not vacuum up broken glass it can shred vacuum hoses and become lodged in the vacuum. Water damage Pull up wet carpeting, padding and rugs. If they can be salvaged, place them outside in the sun to dry. Place furniture on cinder blocks or bricks to help aid in the drying process.

Open windows for good air circulation when the weather is clear. When electricity is restored, use fans to speed the drying process. Refrigerators If you have been without power, do not open refrigerators or freezers. The foods Inside will not spoil as fast if the cold air is not allowed to escape. After 24 hours of no power, If you can obtain dry ice, place a block in the refrigerator and one in the freezer section.

Ten pounds of dry ice will last for 24 to 30 hours. If all you can get is regular ice, take food out of the refrigerator. Put ice and food in an ice chest. Health I The Collier County Health Unit planned to inspect water supplies in Marco Island, Everglades City and Copeland today to Insure they were not contaminated, director Jane Polkowski said. I Inspectors will also visit grocery stores and restaurants to make sure food has not been contaminated by the loss of electricity or rising water.

I Polkowski said health workers were keeping a close watch at the six American Red Cross emergency shelters operated In Collier County for any resident who might have an infectious disease. Phones, electricity I Electricity and telephones should be working again in Lee and Collier counties this morning, or Wednesday at the latest, said spokesmen at Florida Power Light Co. and United Telephone of Florida. I About 42,000 homes in Collier County and 400 homes in Lee County were without electricity Monday evening, said Bill Carlyle, commercial industrial manager for FPL. I Those numbers were down from the companies' totals earlier in the day.

At 3 p.m. Monday, about 20,000 homes in Lee County, mostly on Fort Myers Beach and Bonita Beach, and 65,000 homes in Collier County were without power, Carlyle said. I Keith Anderson, public affairs administrator for United Telephone, said crews will be working around the clock to restore telephone service to about 1,000 residents in Collier County. No homes in Lee County were without service. 1A..