Long Road To Recovery From Storm

Frustrated Floridians waited in long lines for scarce stocks of gas, food and water Wednesday, hoping that the slow arrival of relief supplies on the first day after Hurricane Wilma struck would not be repeated. But Miami-Dade County's mayor warned that supplies were again running low.

Mayor Carlos Alvarez didn't blame the Federal Emergency Management Agency for not getting enough of its supplies to distribution centers. But he called the relief process "flawed" and called for more control and oversight.

Gov. Jeb Bush took responsibility Wednesday for frustrating delays at centers distributing supplies to storm victims, but he also said people who have waited in line for hours seeking relief should have done more to prepare for the storm.

"People had ample time to prepare. It isn't that hard to get 72 hours worth of food and water," said Bush, repeating the advice that officials had given days before Wilma blasted across southern Florida early Monday.

As CBS News correspondent Trish Regan reports, those who obeyed earlier Wilma warnings still suffer. "Luckily, we were smart and got food and shutters and did everything we were supposed to do, but we have no power," claims one Wilma victim.

Which means they are stuck in endless lines waiting for everything from propane to gas cans, Regan says.

At least one food and water distribution site in Miami-Dade was out of supplies, and others among the 11 total were running low with material from FEMA, which set up a warehouse at Homestead Air Reserve Base, he said. He said it could be late Wednesday before the stocks are supplied.

"We are not hoarding supplies anywhere. They have been distributed," he said. "When this inventory runs out at these different distribution centers, we do not know and FEMA cannot tell us when they will be resupplied."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged delays Wednesday with getting gas, water and other supplies to Hurricane Wilma victims but urged patience as frustrations began surfacing among weary Floridians.

Also Wednesday, authorities raised Florida's death toll from Wilma from five to 10.

Though officials stocked supplies in the region before the storm hit, roadblocks in the form of debris, flooding and downed power lines have hindered efforts by federal and state responders to meet all needs, Chertoff said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I have to say, in honesty, patience will be required for everybody," Chertoff said during his flight to Florida. "Under the best circumstances, even in the best planning, you still confront the physical reality of a destructive storm."

Elsewhere, police officers watched over the few gas stations that were open just in case tempers flared while motorists waited for hours to buy fuel. Gas lines formed well before the sun rose.

"I'm usually awake by this hour, but I need gas for my generator so I can go to work and make some money," said Hector Vasquez, 36, who repairs windows. "This shouldn't be this difficult. They should have everything filled ahead of time and make sure FPL gives power to gas stations and places with food first."

Florida's Turnpike official say motorists on the highway between Miami and Yeehaw Junction, about 150 miles, are experiencing three- to five- hour waits for fuel, and five-mile lines. The maximum sale per vehicle was $20, or about 7½ gallons of fuel — which the turnpike said could be the amount used while inching toward the pumps.

In Mexico, thousands of haggard tourists battled for airline and bus seats out of the country's hurricane-battered Caribbean resorts, but thousands more remained stranded Wednesday. Officials said about 22,000 foreign tourists remained in the area Tuesday, down from a peak of almost 40,000, and that 6,000 have already left.

Some American tourists stuck in Mexico told CBS News correspondent Adrienne Bard the U.S. government didn't do enough to help.

"When you live in the largest, most powerful country in the world, you really would think that our government could get some military aircraft in here, swoop us up, and get us out of here," said Rodney Henson of Kentucky, who was still trying to get a flight out after six days.

New Yorker Phillip Garzon complained about the conditions in the shelter.

"We had four or five cots in our room. Everybody else has to sleep on the floor ... 43 in our room, and the room was about 30 by 20. We were sleeping on top of each other, literally," Garzon said.

At the Orange Bowl near downtown Miami, people waited in line to get free water, food and ice.

"I need the ice and water desperately. I have a diabetic son and I need to keep his insulin cool," said Gloria Duzallon, 38, a medical office manager from Hollywood.

Many people were going through the same problems across South Florida. Trucks carrying the first wave of relief Tuesday — food, ice and water — either arrived much later than local officials expected, or simply didn't show up at all.

The price of tomatoes and peppers could more than double for the next two months because of Hurricane Wilma. Agriculture officials say Florida growers who choose to replant destroyed crops likely won't be able to bring their produce to market for another two months. That could cause a temporary shortage of tomatoes and peppers.

Electricity was restored to about 20 percent of the 3.2 million customers who lost it, but Florida Power & Light warned it may take weeks before all service is back. Domestic traffic also resumed Wednesday at the international airports in Miami and West Palm Beach.

Rural Floridians depend on power for more than just their televisions and microwaves, reports CBS News correspondent Peter King (audio). With no municipal water lines in places like Immokalee, Fla., the Solorzano family's generator helps pump well water into the house.

"It's just on for a little while so we could wash our dishes, take our showers, clean what we need to right now," 12-year-old Yacenia Solorzano told King.

With the nearest town some 20 miles away, and the restoration of power possibly weeks away, well water is that much more crucial to her family.

"What we really need right now is just to survive," Solorzano said.

And the 12-year-old has some advice for other Floridians: "Everyone needs to calm down and cool and concentrate on what y'all really need."