Today marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Charley and its massive surge of damage to Southwest Florida and our state as a whole.
Charley formed as a Tropical Depression on Monday, August 9
th, 2004 off the coast of Grenada. The storm quickly moved west and gained strength, becoming a Tropical Storm by early morning on Tuesday, August 10
th. By afternoon, Charley had organized into a hurricane, becoming the third of the 2004 Atlantic Season.
Gradually moving over the Gulf of Mexico, Charley rapidly intensified the morning of Friday, August 13
th. By 2 pm that afternoon, Charley was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds reaching over 145 mph.
Charley’s erratic path made it difficult to determine where it would make landfall. Initial reports expected the storm to hit somewhere near Tampa, but at approximately 5 pm, the storm veered. The wrath of Charley made landfall near Charlotte Harbor, damaging the coastal cities of
Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. The storm followed along the Peace River corridor, devastating the small towns of Arcadia,
Zolfo Springs,
Sebring, and
Wauchula. Charley continued along the path through Orlando and eventually made its way out of Florida at
Daytona Beach, emerging as a Category 1 storm.
Hurricane Charley is considered the 5
th costliest hurricane in US history. It attributed to over $5 billion in property damage and $285 billion in agricultural damage in the state of Florida. Charlotte County saw the most damage with over 80% of its buildings destroyed including hospitals, schools, the local airport, and hundreds of homes.
As we look back on this day, we know it is nearly impossible to be fully prepared for the destruction left by a natural disaster, but there are steps we can take to minimize that destruction. The following link to our local news channel,
Sarasota’s WWSB channel 40, Hurricane Preparedness page gives you tips on: Making Your House Storm Ready, Shelter Information, Evacuation maps, Survival Kits, Boat Safety Tips, and After the Storm. Their
Hurricane Guide can be downloaded and printed for your convenience.
Be prepared and stay safe!
The Sarasota's Barrier Islands had very little damage from Hurricane
Clarley.
The Herron Group / RE/MAX Alliance Group ,
Nick Herron and
Kathleen Herron would be glad to show you any of the homes or condos listed on
Sarasota’s Barrier Islands of Bird Key, Casey Key, Siesta Key,
Manasota Key, Longboat and Lido Key. Call 941.350.5035. or 800.789.6580
Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream