Evening star., 1960-09-23

1t is here. in a 65-mile island
hopping stretch of the pic
turesque Central Florida keys
that Donna wrought her most
terrifying and costly havoc;
that whole communities sprawl
in Splintered devastation and
waste.
In the two weeks since DON
mas 160-mile-an-hour winds
threshed into the central keys
the long haul toward recovery
is vigorously under way.
Toll Is Heavy
The box score for Donna in
Florida as a whole is grim-1G
dead. 50 seriously injured, 42l
less seriously; 1911 homes and
trailers destroyed, 4,904 dam
aged seriously, 1890 less seri-
ously; 5000 families needing
complete disaster relief; mil
lions of dollars worth of crops
destroyed or imperiled by salt
water intrusion; water short
ages: local economies crippled
Total bill: Perhaps 81 billion
The bulk of this tragedy is
along this strand of bridge
linked islands.
Donna left the keys with
less dignity than an earth
quake, perhaps because ar
earth tremor collapses build
ings in neat, well-defined piles
of ruhble. Donna blew build
ingS and their contents across
the countryside.
A refrigerator is a mile intc
the woods. A piano lies up.
turned on a highway. A husky
concrete bridge is pulverized. A
5-ton fishing boat has beer
tossed like a toy 500 yards in
land. A mans shredded shirI
whips from naked branches.
! Mile after mile, it is a dump
of disaster.
The 160-mile l8-inch pipelin,
from Florida City to Key West
pumping S million gallons o
water a day along the ariC
Keys, was chopped at six place
by Donna.
Only now, after nearly two
weeks of living on rationeC
water barged in by the nav!
and distributed in papel
cartons by the American Rec
Cross, is water service beini
restored.
Two massive washouts alonI
the Overseas highway to Ke!
West have been repaired, ant
a team of Army engineers hav,
spanned the pulverlzed bridsl
with a makeshift wartim
Bailey bridge to help restor,
emergency traffic.
The National Guard ant
Florida Highway Patrol stIl
maintain roadblockS at tn
northern end of the worst-hi
area, turning back non-resi
dents and sightseers.
Plainly and simply, we wan
to keep out looters,", an Arm,
officer said. People who liv
in this mess aren't about t,
steal from their neighbors. It
the vultures from outside W
want to keep out"
Some LOOters Caught
Even before Donna's las
winds had gasped, one coupl,
from outside the keys wa
caught looting, and a boatloat
of IA HonduraIlS, apparentl,
in flight toward exile in Flori
da, landed in the keys ant
were caught looting.
Although disaster official
did not declare martial law
reinforcementS of State Polio,
and National Guardsmen, plu
informal curfewS imposed OF
the most severely damaget
areas, give the keys that ap
pearance.
Most of the keys most re-
nowned resort motels and pop
ular fishing camps were wipet
out.
But fishing Capt. Lero.
Roberts said, as he siftet
through splintered lumber tina
once was a profitable fishing
basin for tourists: Sure we go
hit bad. But everybody viii
clean UP and get back Il
work"
Along the keys, which hai
prospered as a lazy tropica
vacationland, the greatest fea,
is that the aftermath of Dom;
will frighten off tourists ant
land tors who havl
brought new prosperity.
Red Cross Prompt
The Red Cross, which wol
profound respect for its promp
and generous relief work, ha
already begun processing re
quests for funds to restorl
homes and furnishings.
Out of Donna has also grown
a cry for a new look at th'
keys building code, an in
effective and uninforced politi
cal compromise apparently re
sponsible for devastation O
much housing construction.
This demand has the sam,
ring as the public outrage aftel
the killer hurricane of 193I
which swept away more thar
500 lives and left utter vast,
in approximately this SAM
area.
Structural engineers inspect
ing damage and destruction
claim as little as an added $2I
In building costs-for reinforcet
roof-tie-downS - would havI
prevented much mass destruc
tion.
1t was Florida's bloc Of small
county politicians which helpeC
defeat legislation aimed at /;
strengthened and realistic uni