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Children cope with boredom after Charley

http://www.bakersfield.com/24hour/nation/story/1590059p-9197119c.html

By VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) - Crystal Hoban's 3-year-old son James is having a hard time understanding why he can't watch his favorite television shows.

He looks at the television and says, "'Ma, you got to play it,'" said Hoban, 20, whose family's home was severely damaged by Hurricane Charley. "Every day, he looks at the plug and he tries to turn it on and he just doesn't understand why it won't come on."

The storm and its aftermath killed 22 people in Florida, and 391,000 people remained without power early Thursday, said Kristy Campbell, spokeswoman at the state emergency management center. One of three hospitals shut down by the storm, Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte, opened Thursday for all services except elective admissions.

While parents worry about picking up the pieces, the children whose lives were upturned by Charley are dealing with another problem - boredom.

Many schools are closed because of damage. And with electricity still out, youngsters are being deprived of their normal creature comforts: television, video games and computers.

It is an added dimension that cannot be ignored for droves of children. Here in Charlotte County, there are about 22,000 residents under 18. Trauma stemming from the storm may lead to depression, anger, anxiety - keeping children busy with games and other activities is important for their mental health, psychologists say.

"You try to get them back to a normal routine," said Robert Butterworth, a psychologist with International Trauma Associates. "How do you get them back to a normal routine when there's nothing left? You have to keep them occupied for a while."

Numerous shelters have popped up around the area, offering activities such as board games, animated movies and even free Girl Scouts cookies. A miniature golf course in nearby Bonita Springs lets children play for free or at a discount.

At a Red Cross shelter at L.A. Ainger Middle School in Englewood, 4-year-old Isabella Snyder spent Tuesday morning doing the limbo, playing with bubbles and making new friends. Meanwhile, her 6-week-old twin brothers snuggled in the arms of volunteers.

Some volunteers are not much older than the young storm victims taking shelter at the school about 15 miles from the disaster zone. They have turned their sudden two-week break from school into a chance to help others.

Neighbors have donated brand new books and games, enough to cover several tables. Monday night, a clown stopped by to entertain the children with face painting and balloons. A seemingly endless supply of chocolate milk and french fries is available at meal time.

Among the approximately 300 people seeking shelter, more than half are children.

"Kids are pretty resilient, that's the good news," said Judy Martin, a physical education teacher at nearby Vineland Elementary School. She led some of the children to the playground while their parents boarded buses to visit damage homes or meet with federal disaster aid workers.

"You see kids helping kids. You know they don't know each other, but the older ones are taking the little ones by the hand," she said.

Jenny Hall, 19, was enjoying her last weeks of summer freedom before resuming classes at the University of South Florida. When her family survived the storm unscathed, Hall and two relatives came to the shelter to help.

"What else am I going to do, just sit there and watch TV?" Hall said. "I want to be a teacher anyway."

"We're the lucky ones," added her cousin, Danika Dodd, 13.

The Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Inc. have opened a shelter in nearby Manatee County, where families with children can stay. While there they can watch TV or Disney movies, enjoy a hot shower and go canoeing, said troop CEO Sandi Stewart on Wednesday.

"It's good for kids to go with other kids because they need to give their parents a break. It's hard to say things are OK when they are not," Butterworth said.

That's certainly the case with the Hobans, who are living in a condemned house with a refrigerator full of rotting food, inches of standing water in all but one room and no electricity.

Last week, Crystal Hoban's younger sister, Tara, was happy when summer break ended and she started classes at Punta Gorda High School. Now the 15-year-old honor student spends hours playing solitaire on a card table outside her home.

At night, the family can do little but sit and think about what the morning will bring.

"You try to read by candlelight, but it's a fire hazard," Tara said.

Tara and Crystal's mother, Judy Hoban, said she would happily pack up the family and leave, except her car was crushed by flying debris.

"I just say to God, 'Please help me think of some way out of this,'" said Hoban, a single mother who supported her family as a waitress. "When you have to take care of kids, you have to be strong. But I'm getting weak."