Posted on 08/14/2004 1:42:49 AM PDT by kattracks
Prayers for those in Florida.
I've seen the manager of the park interviewed. It was mostly elederly residents, with some in their 90's. They weren't snowbirds. This was the main residence for most of them. Why no-one thought to get them out of the way is beyond me, though there are so many elderly in FL that there may have just been no way to do if if the residents couldn't/wouldn't do it themselves.
I never said anybody deserves such devastation.
It's just that this one didn't look like it was going to be a false alarm early on. The weather maps from Thursday looked ominous enough for me.
Who knows what that storm is going to do. It's picking up strength at sea last I heard.
It could hopefully go off into the Atlantic. If things go badly it may go around Hatteras and then zig to the NW right up the Chesapeake as Agnes did in '72 [it eventually went into PA, then zagged again NE before dissipating in New York]. A lot of people would be affected. I remember that [as a TD] Agnes blew out part of the US 1 bridge between Fairfax and Prince William counties here in Northern VA.
ps. My father is in the tidewater section of VA right now -- Northern Neck of the Rappahannock. I'm worried about him.
Greg Kelly on Fox News reporting from Punta Gorda confirmed the "stacks of bodies" statement. Does anyone know, were the residents of Punta Gorda told to evacuate?
Ah, thanks. That explains it. ...very different demographics from the place and time where some of my growing years were spent (mostly young parents with kids in that city back then, and many evacuated days ahead).
Apparently, the hurricane was expected to hit land much further north.
It was Cat2 before & after passing over Cuba, and was fully expected to be Cat3 before landfall in Florida.
It did go to Cat4 amazingly quickly, but I fully expected damage in the area that now has damage - perhaps not such significant damage, but it was obvious that the area was in danger of a significant hit.
Add the rains from hurricanes, the storm surge that was expected, and the fact that much of that area was somewhat flooded already, and there was a large obvious potential for damage.
http://www.charlottecountyfl.com/Emergency/bulletins.asp
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 Time: 4:19:31 PM
Mandatory Evacuation of Barrier Islands
CHARLOTTE COUNTY SCHOOLS TO CLOSE FRIDAY. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF BARRIER ISLANDS, RV PARKS, AND MOBILE HOME COMMUNITIES IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY ORDERED AT 3 P.M. TODAY.Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center have moved the landfall of Hurricane Charley slightly north of Tampa, targeting the Tarpon Springs area around 6 pm Friday. We have ordered a mandatory evacuation of all barrier islands, RV parks and those residents living in mobile homes effective at 3 pm today.
Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 Time: 8:12:01 PM
Low Lying Areas Strongly Urged to Evacuate
Residents in the following areas are strongly urged to consider evacuating their homes by daylight Friday in advance of Hurricane Charley. The strengthening storm is now forecast to produce a storm surge of up to 10 feet above normal tide levels. Those areas of Charlotte County below 8 foot elevation and subject to the worst flooding threat include: EAST PUNTA GORDA AND SOLONA DOWNTOWN PUNTA GORDA PUNTA GORDA’S HISTORIC DISTRICT RIVERSIDE DRIVE, PUNTA GORDA THE EDGEWATER CORRIDOR, PORT CHARLOTTE BAYSHORE ROAD, MELBOURNE STREET & HARBORVIEW ROAD, CHARLOTTE HARBOR BURNT STORE ROAD, PUNTA GORDA PIRATE HARBOR, PUNTA GORDA EL JOBEAN AND THE CAPE HAZE AREA IN WESTERN CHARLOTTE COUNTY Evacuation is MANDATORY for Charlotte County’s barrier islands and for anyone in an RV or mobile home.
john zarella reports the sheriff at the trailer park has ordered 60 body baghs sent in.
Hurricane Charley Devastates Western Florida
By Marc Serota
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Reuters) - Hurricane Charley leveled houses and snapped trees in half as it raged into the western Florida coast, leaving 1 million people without power and an expected billion-dollar price tag before moving into the Atlantic Saturday.
A hurricane warning extended from Georgia to the North Carolina-Virginia state line as Charley churned through the ocean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (news - web sites) said. It was expected to reach the South Carolina coast later in the day.
Packing winds of 145 mph (233 kph), Charlie was a powerful Category 4 storm when came ashore Friday at Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, catching many residents unprepared because of expectations the brunt of the hurricane would hit the coast much farther north.
"I never seen anything like this before," said Victor Rivera as he stood on top of a pile of rubble that used to be the car parts shop where he worked in Port Charlotte.
The storm plowed across central Florida, weakening as it dumped heavy rains on Orlando, home to Disney World, and aimed for the Atlantic. Charley was expected to regain some strength over the water before crossing back onto land in the Carolinas and proceeding through to the north as a tropical storm.
In its wake, overturned boats sat in front of shredded storefronts, power lines dangled in standing water, street signs and billboards were ripped away and palm tree trunks, snapped in half like matchsticks, were wrapped with twisted metal.
Few windows had been boarded up, and most were blown out. Mobile home parks were devastated and 18-wheel tractor-trailers flipped over like toys.
On exclusive Captiva Island, offshore from Punta Gorda, 160 condominiums were totally destroyed and a similar number seriously damaged, the National Weather Service (news - web sites) said.
The storm ripped the roof off an emergency shelter in DeSoto County, exposing the thousand people who had sought refuge within to pounding rain and ferocious winds, the service said.
ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
Florida Power & Light said 429,000 customers were left without electricity. Progress Energy Florida said 477,000 people were sitting in the dark.
"This storm has caused a tremendous amount of destruction," said a Progress company spokesman.
The state emergency management agency said it was too early to put a figure on the damages, or to estimate casualties.
But a catastrophic risk management group, Risk Management Solutions, estimated Charley could have inflicted up to $15 billion of insured damage.
President Bush (news - web sites) 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 ordered 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 5 a.m. (0600 GMT), Charley was about 115 milessouthwest of Charleston, South Carolina, near latitude 31.
By 5 a.m. (0600 GMT), Charley was about 115 milessouthwest of Charleston, South Carolina, near latitude 31. 2north and longitude 80.5 west, and its winds had reduced to 85mph (138 kph). It was moving north-northeast at 25 mph (40 kph)and packing winds of up to 85 mph (136 kph). One storm-related death had been confirmed in Florida byFrida y night. A tractor trailer truck, possibly pushed by agust of wind, crossed a highway median and fell on top of a carn ear Orlando, killing a child passenger in the car. Charley was blamed for four deaths in Cuba and one inJamaica aft er it formed in the Caribbean Tuesday. As a Category 4 storm -- the second strongest on a scaleused to rate hurr icanes -- Charley rated as one of the mostdangerous storms to hit Florida. Hurricane Andrew was believed to be a Ca tegory 4 storm whenit hit Miami in August 1992, causing $25 billion in damage. Itwas subsequently upgraded to a Catego ry 5. Hurricane Hugo,which caused $7 billion in damage when it hit South Carolina in1989, was also a Category 4.
And yes, I'd assumed snowbirds and young people. It's a shame that families of those old folks in trailer parks didn't take them to safer places. My elderly mother is in a state near there, but she'll be talked into evacuating before another hurricane hits there.
I really think this was a time issue. The hurricane was not supposed to hit this area, nor be this strong. These people may very well not have had time to get out before the hurricane hit.
Anyone see the RV's on their side on CNN?
Yes, they were. At least 24 hrs before the storm hit. They may still have the articles at the local newspaper site (www.news-press.com) quoting people from various places around that area who said they weren't evacuating.
Thank you. Punta Gorda residents were "strongly urged to evacuate" Thursday evening. I can't imagine riding the storm out inside a mobile home as it appears many residents chose to do. This is so sad.
TOTALLY False. Don't believe the media morons.
24 hours is plenty of time, and you will not see evacuation orders given earlier, really.
I have read the posts of people here saying they were not told to evacuate the area, loved ones were not told to evacuate. The storm was supposed to go 150 miles north.
Well, it's interesting. RedCross official on Fox stating the "stacks of bodies" phrase is a little over the top. But reports now saying 60 body bags ordered to the trailer park and the LE is guarding bodies.
It's real bad no matter how it's described.
Prairie
And 2 refrigerator trucks. I think I heard CNN say Andrew death toll was 26?
I suspect local law enforcement would have transported an elderly person who asked to a local shelter, if they couldn't transport themselves and had no family to do so. (obviously, no way they could evacuate them totally out of the way.)
While some SHELTERS were damaged, I'm unaware of anyone dying in one.
(putting on flame suit...)
Could it be that, having the seniors, decided that trial by hurricane (being an act of G_D and all) thought that departing that would be easiest?
I sincerely hope not!
Flame away.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.