FL Hurricanes delay funerals - how sad!

Written by John Ellingsworth

Wednesday, 07 July 2004

Series of Fla. Hurricanes Delay Funerals By JILL BARTON, Associated Press Writer FORT PIERCE, Fla. - The four-in-a-row hurricanes that have disrupted lives across Florida have also delayed life's final journey for many. Funerals have been put off for weeks in some places because the ground is too soggy for burials or because scattered family members cannot be assembled. Many undertakers have also had trouble finding doctors to sign death certificates. They have had to scramble to find electricity to run the refrigerated rooms where bodies are stored. Some have had to struggle just to find water to mix the embalming fluids and cleanse the bodies. And many of those whose job it is to help people cope with the death of a loved one are dealing with heavy losses themselves. "We've been tested," said Paul Buxton, who saw the Okeechobee funeral home he built up over 25 years damaged by Hurricane Frances, then wiped out by Jeanne. Debbie Hatfield, 39, died Monday while awaiting a liver transplant. Buxton is hoping the water table beneath the cemetery will have dropped enough to have the burial next Monday. "It's stressing," said James Hatfield, who is left to raise two young sons on his own. "The worst part is worrying about if it's dry enough to put her in the ground, and then worrying about the coffin coming back up out of the ground." "We're limping," said Rick Haisley, whose Fort Pierce funeral home lost the roof of its chapel to Jeanne. The storm also damaged the roof of Haisley's riverfront house, so he and his wife have moved into the funeral home. But he added: "It's amazing how understanding the families are. They just want to hold your hand and cry with you." The disaster had led to cooperation among funeral directors who might otherwise be competitors. Roberson Funeral Home in hard-hit Port Charlotte lost power for 10 days after Hurricane Charley, and funeral director Ken Roberson worked out a "gentleman's agreement" with another undertaker to handle embalming and cremation. Tom Ralph bought five generators for his T.M. Ralph Funeral Home in Plantation, but did not need them and instead lent them to other undertakers. Many funeral homes that lost electricity for refrigeration have resorted to embalming all bodies, even those that were intended for cremation, sometimes before the family has even decided how it want the remains to be handled, said Ralph, president of the Florida Funeral Directors Association. "Sometimes you have to look backwards to go forwards," said Ralph, noting that embalming became widely used during the Civil War to allow families to retrieve soldiers killed on faraway battlefields. In Pensacola, which was hammered by Hurricane Ivan, George "Bubba" Cooke Jr. received permission from several families to embalm bodies ahead of the storm, rather than take the risk of losing refrigeration. Even though his business suffered little damage and never lost power, Cooke said the storms have had an effect on the death ritual. "Pensacola's a very traditional town," he said. "We still have police escorts, and people pull over. Since the storm, we've had no escorts. They can't spare the police." Like most Floridians, funeral directors have learned from each storm. After Frances, Haisley laid aside several 50-gallon drums of water for the embalming machines and bought five generators. But Buxton learned there are some things you cannot prepare for. After Jeanne, the only part of Buxton's funeral home that was still usable was the embalming room. Winds tore the roof off the funeral parlor and dumped it on Buxton's hearse. Water destroyed the chapel's hard-oak furnishings and $35,000 worth of drapery. Gone was the collection of cherubs Buxton had assembled from around the globe. Within days, workers had brought in three 14-by-50-foot modular buildings _ one for viewing, one for a chapel and one for offices. Buxton arranged to have sidewalks and a parking lot poured, and he hopes to be up and running again by week's end. "Our job is to help people walk through grief and learn how to live again," he said. "The funeral is the oldest celebration in the history of mankind, which tells you something of its significance. And what people need right now is significance."

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )

 

< Prev		Next >