Poverty keeps many from preparing for storm season
Preparing for hurricane season with expensive supplies takes a back seat to everyday life for many of South Florida's low-income residents.
BY ANDREA ROBINSON AND NATALIE P. MCNEAL

On the cusp of a new hurricane season, Sheila Tobias is in a bind.

Generators, flashlights, batteries and nonperishable food are things that South Florida's poor and working-class families may not be able to afford for the coming storms. Among them is Tobias, a Miramar mother of two and a substitute school bus driver who makes $9 an hour.

''I don't have the extra money,'' said Tobias, 39. ``I have to take care of the kids, take care of school clothes. That's all the money I have.''

Many area residents share her predicament.

More than 28 percent of Miami residents live below the poverty level, defined as just above $19,000 a year for a family of four -- making Miami the third-poorest large city in the country. About 17 percent of Miami-Dade residents and 10 percent of Broward residents live in poverty.

For these people, social service and government agencies are emphasizing preparedness, and they're prepackaging thousands of meals for distribution right after a storm. But officials acknowledge the need potentially far exceeds demand for help during a disaster.

''Poverty is the greatest impediment to preparation,'' Craig Fugate, Florida's director of emergency operations, said Tuesday.