I’m amazed at the level of damage in Punta Gorda… very reminiscent of the hurricane Andrew situation before. The thing that gets me is that very few people really took it seriously until it was too late… I think that’s thanks in now small part to TV news blowing *every* weather event totally out of proportion.

A million people without power, and two million people were asked to evacuate. I wonder how much damage will be caused by looting, and how many people are going to get gunshot wounds as a result of walking around in the wrong part of town, now that the weather has passed by.

via Reuters

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (Reuters) – Rescuers poured into southwest Florida on Saturday to search for victims and help shocked survivors of Hurricane Charley, a devastating storm that flattened homes and stores and left up to 1 million without power.

As a weakened but still powerful Charley headed toward the South Carolina coast, search teams with heavy equipment set out for Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, the Gulf Coast towns hit hardest when the storm made an unexpected turn on Friday and struck with more ferocity than initially forecast.

Florida’s emergency management agency said at least three people were killed as the storm raged over the state. But the toll appeared likely to rise as rescue workers reached worst-hit areas, such as mobile home parks shredded by the storm.

Bob Carpenter, a spokesman for the Charlotte County emergency management office, said it was too early to know how many people were killed.

“We just won’t know until we can get in there (to the mobile home parks). Obviously we expect to have many (fatalities),” Carpenter said.

Officials called in a team of 25 morticians with refrigerated trucks to deal with the bodies of the victims. They said there were 31 mobile home parks in the Punta Gorda area, at least two with up to 1,000 residents each.

“In a lot of these parks, we did get people to move to the emergency shelters. At this point we just have to hope for the best,” Carpenter said.

ONCE IN A HUNDRED YEARS

Ambulances streamed out of southwest Florida toward Tampa, removing patients from damaged hospitals as National Guard troops, power company workers and search teams streamed in.

Destruction in Punta Gorda was widespread. Few buildings were untouched by the storm, which packed 145 mph winds. Part of a commercial cinder block building was missing. Twisted pieces of aluminum siding were everywhere. Power lines dangled from poles and trees. Pieces of carpet were stuck in trees.

“This type of hurricane only happens once every hundred years, they say,” said Harry Thomas, looking over his destroyed Pelican Cove bayside motel in Port Charlotte. “I could have lived and died twice.”

Thomas, who spent the night at a friend’s house, said he returned to his property shortly after the storm passed to protect it from looters. “Everybody’s got guns,” he said.

Charley was blamed for four deaths in Cuba and one in Jamaica after it formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday.

A powerful Category 4 storm when it hit shore, Charley flattened mobile homes, tore roofs off buildings, overturned boats and cars, ripped up trees and signs and shredded power lines.

The storm plowed across central Florida, weakening as it dumped heavy rains on Orlando, home to Disney World, leaving a wide trail of destruction. Mobile homes were reduced to rubble and tractor-trailers were flipped over like toys.

“I guess it could have been worse. I’m just trying to figure out how,” said Chris DiMarco of Port Charlotte, who lost part of his roof and pool enclosure.

On exclusive Captiva Island, offshore from Punta Gorda, 160 condominiums were totally destroyed and a similar number seriously damaged, the National Weather Service said.

Florida Power & Light said 429,000 customers were left without electricity. Progress Energy Florida said 477,000 people were sitting in the dark.

There was no state estimate on damage, but a catastrophic risk management group, Risk Management Solutions, estimated Charley could have inflicted up to $5 billion of insured damage.

President Bush declared Florida a disaster area to speed emergency assistance.

Forecasters had expected Charley to hit the densely populated Tampa area north of Port Charlotte and nearly 2 million people were told to evacuate.

But the storm suddenly gathered intensity as it headed for land and made a last-minute turn that brought it ashore farther south, catching off guard many who had ignored evacuation orders because they thought they were safe.

By 8 a.m., Charley was about 35 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, near latitude 32.3 north and longitude 79.7 west, and its winds had reduced to 85 mph. It was moving north-northeast at 28 mph with winds of up to 85 mph.

As a Category 4 storm — the second strongest on a scale used to rate hurricanes — Charley rated as one of the most dangerous storms to hit Florida.

Hurricane Andrew was believed to be a Category 4 storm when it hit Miami in August 1992, causing $25 billion in damage.

Some photos via omgzomgz

Good thoughts and hopes for all dealing with that situation. Something I learned from Andrew was that people really will pull together in times of adversity to help one another. (and scam artist “roofing companies” will be there to bilk folks.)

Tropical Storm Earl looks like it could be heading along a similar path, and Danielle looks to be a non-issue.

Something interesting, I used livejournal to show posts out of specific areas. Example, if you want to see latest updates out of Fort Myers, just use This link.remember to take into account average usage stats.