MIAMI : Victims of Hurricane Wilma's wrath in Florida pressured officials for relief as they suffered a third day without electricity and scant basic supplies, while Governor Jeb Bush admitted the emergency relief effort "didn't work as it should."
The White House, meanwhile, announced that President George W. Bush, the governor's brother, would visit the hurricane-damaged region Thursday.
In Mexico, officials estimated damage from the ferocious storm was costing 15 million dollars a day in lost tourism revenue from the glitzy Yucatan peninsula, while in Cuba tourism officials said the sector would be back on its feet in a week.
At least nine people died in Florida in connection with the storm that pummeled much of the Florida peninsula Monday, according to police and local media.
Hurricane damages were estimated between four and eight billion dollars in Florida, California-based risk analysis firm EQECAT said.
Before hitting Florida, Wilma had devastated Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and Cozumel island, leaving at least 10 people dead. Four people died in Cuba during pre-storm evacuations.
In Florida, all along the eastern coast, the same scene of desperation repeated itself. Thousands of people filled the streets in search of water, ice, food and gasoline (petrol) they needed to cope with widespread power outages.
Some six million people were still without electricity. The lack of power made restoring water pressure difficult.
More than 70 distribution points for water, ice and food had been opened in the state, the governor said, and their number should increase to more than 80 in the next few days.
Nevertheless, many of the aid centers did not function as expected Tuesday, and supplies were snapped up Wednesday as people waited in long lines for scarce aid.
The snags sparked criticisms of the state and federal governments, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), still under fire for its slow response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in late August.
The complex aid system "didn't work as it should yesterday, and I probably raised the bar too high... we did not meet those expectations and I accept responsibility for that," Governor Bush said at a news conference.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez said the provisions sent by FEMA to his county had already run out.
"Everything that the federal government has provided to us has been distributed... we're not holding back anything," he told reporters.
"It's the process and how it's structured, and it's flawed... and I'm not blaming anyone," he said, adding that the delivery of aid to the people had been bogged down for hours in red tape.
Acknowleding that people were "frustrated, disappointed, angry," the mayor said: "I think the system needs to be reviewed."
David Paulison, FEMA's acting director and a former chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, said the long lines seen Tuesday could have been avoided.
"That's why we tell people, have 72 hours of food and water, so you don't have to stand in line," Paulison said. "But regardless, we're going to make sure to increase the supply line."