(CNN) At this point, a day or two without power seems like just a minor inconvenience. Maybe some spoiled milk in the fridge. Or the frustration of a drained cellphone.

But much of eastern Florida hasn't had electricity since last weekend. And parts of the state's battered west coast might not get power for another 10 days.

Carolyn Cole removes belongings from her Bonita Springs home, which could be without power for 10 days.

The danger was exemplified Wednesday, when eight people died in Hollywood , Florida, after their nursing home lost air conditioning. The residents' causes of death are being investigated.

"I'm afraid the death toll from Irma is not over yet," said Craig Fugate, former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Fugate himself had no power Wednesday in his Gainesville home.

Electricity can literally be a lifeline, powering everything from hospitals to oxygen tanks.

So, what will 10 days without power look like? Here's what to expect, and what to do about it:

Dangerous (even deadly) heat

The most devastated parts of Florida will endure temperatures in the 90s over the next few days. Combined with oppressive humidity and relentless mosquitoes, the situation will be miserable -- if not deadly.

In Bradenton, "It's over 100 degrees," resident Alexis Davis said. The apartment she shares with her boyfriend and two roommates hasn't had electricity since Sunday.

"We can't stay in the apartment," Davis said. "We've seen people sitting out in their car so that they have some air conditioning."

For those who require oxygen tanks or refrigerated medication, the power outage can be especially dire.

"I have enough bottled oxygen to last several days," said 91-year-old Philip Dennen. "But without power, we'll be in a little trouble."

What to do:

For the elderly or vulnerable, "Please go to a shelter or call 911," said Rob Gould, chief communications officer for Florida Power & Light. "Please do not wait."

Fugate said those needing refrigerated medication may be able to go to their local pharmacy, because many pharmacies have improved their use of generators and are able to return to business.

"Sending people home with (medicine in) Styrofoam coolers is one option," he said.

For otherwise healthy residents, the Energy Education Council offers several tips on surviving the heat. Among them:

-- Dress in loose, lightweight clothing and stay on the lowest level of your home.

-- Use battery-powered fans.

-- Close all drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your home.

Fuel shortages

"Fuel and communications is the greatest need," said Mike Wallace, who rode out the storm on Big Pine Key, a Florida island decimated by Hurricane Irma.

JUST WATCHED Florida Keys residents get first look at homes Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Florida Keys residents get first look at homes 04:00

While Wallace survived, many of the houses did not.

"We really need communications services, and food and fuel, desperately," Wallace said. "There's a lot of people here (who) are really suffering."

But even if gas stations have fuel, no one can pump it if there's no power.

What to do:

It's important for residents to conserve fuel and not drive or fill up their tanks unnecessarily, Fugate said.

That can mean staying where they've been evacuated to, rather than returning home.

"If you're in a safe place and you're comfortable, sit tight," Fugate said. "By giving yourself a couple of days for things to stabilize, you're not dealing with traffic and are giving crews an opportunity to turn power back on."

He also advised against hoarding gas.

"You don't need to be filling up your gas tank if you have three-fourths of a tank, just because you don't think there'll be gas next week," Fugate said. "You'll have fuel in a week."

No school indefinitely

The closure of schools has myriad effects on children and their families, Fugate said.

Children aren't learning. Staying at home means parents can't work. And for low-income families, school is where children get nutritious meals.

"Getting schools open ... is far more critical than most people realize," said Fugate, a former director of Florida's Emergency Management Division.

What to do:

Fugate said you don't have to get kids back in their own schools to get them educated and back into their normal rhythm -- an important step for their psychological recovery.

JUST WATCHED Foster kids staying in $30M mansion after Irma Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Foster kids staying in $30M mansion after Irma 00:58

"You can use other schools," he said. "What we learned when I worked for Gov. (Jeb) Bush was getting schools back to normal wasn't the mission. Getting kids back in schools was."

He said after Hurricane Charley in 2004, students from one high school that couldn't open shared a campus with another high school.

Both schools' students temporarily used half-day schedules; one group of students would go early in the morning, and the other would go later in the day.

Lethal danger from generators and live wires

Most hurricane-related deaths come after the storm, not from the storm itself, said Gould, the Florida Power & Light spokesman. And many of those deaths are linked to generators and downed electric lines.

Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Children clean a dirty mattress from a flooded home in Immokalee, Florida, on Thursday, September 14. Hurricane Irma laid waste to beautiful Caribbean islands and caused historic destruction across Florida. The cleanup will take weeks; recovery will take months. Hide Caption 1 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida On September 14, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and first lady Melania Trump hand out food to people impacted by Hurricane Irma in Naples, Florida. Hide Caption 2 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Debris litters the area around a group of homes in the Florida Keys on Wednesday, September 13. Hide Caption 3 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Lake County jail inmates fill sandbags in Astor, Florida, on September 13. Hide Caption 4 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A classic Volkswagen sits in floodwaters September 13 in Middleburg, Florida. Flooding from the Black Creek topped the previous high-water mark by about 7 feet. Hide Caption 5 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida James Wade checks for water-damaged items as floodwaters recede in Middleburg on September 13. Hide Caption 6 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Floodwaters surround vehicles in Callahan, Florida, on Tuesday, September 12. Hide Caption 7 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Jose Encarnacion pulls a chicken from a cage as he gathers belongings from his flooded house in Bonita Springs, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 8 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Joseph Dupuis III stacks boxes off the floor in his parents' water-logged apartment in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 9 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Motorists in Estero, Florida, fill gas cans September 12, moments before police shut the station down because of a curfew. Hide Caption 10 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Mike Gilbert and his daughter Brooke embrace in front of a relative's destroyed condominium building in the Florida Keys on September 12. Hide Caption 11 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Members of the US Coast Guard operate in floodwaters during rescue missions in Hastings, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 12 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Waist-deep in floodwater, Shelly Hughes gets her first look at the inside of her camper in Arcadia, Florida, on September 12. Hide Caption 13 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, a house slides into the Atlantic Ocean in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Monday, September 11. Hide Caption 14 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Richard Shieldhouse maneuvers through storm-surge floodwaters in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 15 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Mario Valentine sits in his badly damaged home in Immokalee on September 11. Hide Caption 16 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Boats are partially submerged in Key Largo, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 17 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Chris Stokes works in the mud as he helps clean up damage to his father's convenience store in Everglades City, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 18 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Ashley Tomberg drags a tree branch from the roof of a neighbor's house in Gainesville, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 19 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Floodwaters inundate a car in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 20 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A crocodile appears at the Dinner Key Marina in Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 21 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida John Duke tries to salvage his flooded vehicle in Jacksonville on September 11. Hide Caption 22 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A van sits in a sinkhole that opened up in Winter Springs, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 23 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People check out floodwaters at Jacksonville's Memorial Park on September 11. Hide Caption 24 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Kelly McClenthen and her boyfriend, Daniel Harrison, walk through floodwaters in Bonita Springs on September 11. Hide Caption 25 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A truck drives through a flooded street in Key Largo on September 11. Hide Caption 26 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A man walks by damage in Palm Shores, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 27 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Catharine Taylor Woods cleans up a broken awning outside her building in Wauchula, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 28 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida The roof of a home is damaged in Marco Island, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 29 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Rick Freedman checks damage to his neighbor's home in Marco Island on September 11. Hide Caption 30 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Boats are partially submerged in a marina in downtown Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 31 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People step out of their flooded home in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 11. Hide Caption 32 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A felled tree blocks a street in downtown Miami on September 11. Hide Caption 33 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Irma damaged this gas station roof in Bonita Springs. Hide Caption 34 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Michele Snelling sleeps on couch cushions next to her 4-month-old daughter, Lauryn, at a middle school in St. Petersburg, Florida, on September 11. The school was filled with evacuees. Hide Caption 35 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Hotel guests navigate a dark stairwell after they lost power in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hide Caption 36 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People in Cape Coral, Florida, tend to a car that flipped over during Hurricane Irma on Sunday, September 10. Hide Caption 37 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A manatee lies stranded September 10 after waters receded during Irma's approach in Manatee County, Florida. Hide Caption 38 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida High winds split this large tree in half in Fort Lauderdale. Hide Caption 39 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida An American flag is torn as Irma passes through Naples on September 10. Hide Caption 40 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A sheriff's deputy walks through a shelter in Naples after the power went out on September 10. Hide Caption 41 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A police officer walks over debris after a tornado touched down in Palm Bay, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 42 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Yaya Lopez holds her fiance, Howard Lopez, while they sleep in a middle-school hallway in St. Petersburg on September 10. Hide Caption 43 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Geoff Rutland, a local volunteer from Crossing Jordan Church, helps other residents get ice from a vending machine in Tampa, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 44 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida PJ Pike checks on his boat and one belonging to a friend in Fort Myers. Both were sitting in mud at their moorings due to an unusually low tide on September 10. Hide Caption 45 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People walk past a building in Miami where the roof was blown off by Hurricane Irma on September 10. Hide Caption 46 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida An abandoned car sits in floodwaters during a storm surge in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 47 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Fallen trees block a parking lot in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 48 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Sailboats moored near Watson Island ride out the winds and waves on September 10. Hide Caption 49 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Members of the Blinckman family use their personal devices in a stairwell utility closet as Hurricane Irma went over Key West, Florida, on September 10. Hide Caption 50 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Evacuees watch the weather from a shelter in Naples on September 10. Hide Caption 51 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Heavy winds and rain blow through Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 52 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Seidel fights fierce winds and flooded streets while reporting in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 53 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A man records the gusty winds going through downtown Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 54 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida A tree lies on a pickup truck after being knocked down by the high winds in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 55 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Hotel guests eat breakfast by lamplight after the Courtyard Marriott was left without power in Fort Lauderdale on September 10. Hide Caption 56 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida Part of this crane tower collapsed in Miami on September 10. Hide Caption 57 of 58 Photos: Hurricane Irma slams Florida People sit in the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center as Irma approached Miami on Saturday, September 9. See Hurricane Irma's impact on the Caribbean Hide Caption 58 of 58

At least one person has already died and five others were hospitalized in Miami-Dade County because of carbon monoxide poisoning from generators used indoors, local officials said.

What to do:

"Put the generator outside the garage," Gould said. "Do not leave it inside. Do not run it near a window or door -- that can be absolutely fatal, especially when you think about carbon monoxide poisoning."

Also, plug appliances directly into the generator and not into the electrical box. Failing to do so can send electricity back through the power lines, "and that can be deadly for our crews," Gould said.

With power outages come downed power lines. Don't let your guard down just because the weather has improved.

"It's nice outside right now," Gould said. Residents often go outside, don't pay attention, "and they step on a live wire -- a downed line. And that can be fatal."

Dwindling cash

Some Irma victims who are hourly employees told CNN they're stressing about their next paycheck -- especially those whose businesses still don't have power.

"Food has been destroyed ... restaurants don't have power unless they have a generator," said Davis, the Bradenton resident.

Davis is one of the luckier ones; the restaurant she works at in East Bradenton has had power restored.

But Fugate said many small businesses fail after natural disasters.

"If you work for a small business and that small business has been heavily impacted, sometimes those jobs don't come back because the business doesn't survive," he said.

What to do:

Fugate said Irma victims in sudden financial crisis can seek disaster relief assistance

And a variety of nonprofits and agencies are also offering free goods and services, such as free or discounted rental homes

But the need for help is immense.

"There's total devastation," said Wallace, the Big Pine Key resident. "Things are moving, but guys, we need more help down here. Please."