Posted on 08/16/2004 1:12:01 PM PDT by Semper911
CHARLOTTE COUNTY - Two refrigerated trucks sat in the wind-torn parking lot of the Best Western Water Front Inn off the tranquil waters of Charlotte Harbor, serving as a temporary morgue for the casualties of Hurricane Charley.
Four people may have been killed by the storm in Charlotte County, some reports indicate, and Charley led to at least 16 deaths statewide during its forceful push Friday through Florida.
With ongoing search and rescue efforts stretching into the evening hours Sunday, Charlotte County emergency officials declined to confirm the county's fatalities.
"We've never dealt with a mass casualty event, and we're not yet prepared to (verify) or acknowledge the number of fatalities," said Wayne Sallade, director of Charlotte County's emergency management. "Yes, there are fatalities. Yes, there are people in those refrigerated trucks at the temporary morgue, but we're not prepared to say how many. At this point, I'm not sure that I have the accurate number.
"If the toll is what I believe I'm hearing in a storm of the magnitude we went through in this county, it's a miracle," Sallade said. "It's a miracle."
While hundreds of people have been treated for injuries suffered during the hurricane, the number of missing people remains unknown, officials said.
Because Charlotte County is a seasonal community with an average of about 110,000 residents during the summer and about 200,000 residents during the spring, Sallade said many seasonal residents may have been out of town when Charley hit on Friday, making it hard to determine the number of missing people.
The path Charley carved through historic Punta Gorda remained clear two days after the storm. Steel traffic posts bent like rubber straws, trees snapped in half like pencils, and dangerous power lines lay strewn along the streets. Along the city's main thoroughfares Sunday, sirens still wailed and helicopters soared overhead.
Business owner Jerry Presseller said the hurricane winds pushed a 300-pound oven from outside his delicatessen onto a driveway more than 20 feet away. One of the buildings he owned for more than a decade shuddered, then an eerie calm came.
"We went outside," he said, "but we knew it was the eye of the hurricane, so we hurried back inside."
Presseller remained in awe of the devastation.
"It's like a war zone," he said. "We're pretty lucky."
Law enforcement officials and members of the National Guard are enforcing a mandatory curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Lt. Donna Ruguska said.
Two people were arrested and booked at the Sarasota County jail Saturday after authorities say they violated curfew, Ruguska said.
About 400 volunteers and employees from the American Red Cross set up five relief points and manned eight mobile units delivering food and basic essentials to area residents Sunday. The agency plans on serving a total of about 9,000 meals today, according to J.B. Hunt of the American Red Cross.
President Bush visited the region Sunday morning, along with area congressmen Mark Foley and Porter Goss. The president strolled through Punta Gorda and spoke with residents.
"I think he was as shocked as all the rest of us by what he saw," Sallade said.
Work crews from Center Point Energy in Houston formed a convoy to Charlotte County on Interstate 75. The group was one of the hundreds that poured into the region Sunday amid an overwhelming influx of support.
Emergency crews and law enforcement officials also continued to arrive in Charlotte County.
About 100 Manatee County fire, rescue and emergency officials arrived in Charlotte County hours after the storm passed, according to Manatee County emergency operations and public safety officials.
According to Laurie Feagans, chief of the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center, Manatee County emergency teams came to Charlotte on Saturday and are stationed around the area.
"It was devastation," Feagans said, recalling her first impression of Charlotte County in the aftermath of Charley. "I just felt really bad for them."
At a command center in the Winn Dixie parking lot on Kings Highway, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers fraternized with Sarasota County emergency services employees. A Dixie County mobile command center sat alongside Palm Beach County sheriff's vehicles.
U.S. Immigration officers waved traffic through intersections on U.S. 41.
"Almost a quarter of our agency is here," said Joseph Schwartz, a lieutenant with the state fire marshal's office in Fort Lauderdale. "We've done Georges, Andrew - it's what we do."
Schwartz said he helped open gas stations to service the support vehicles and helped cover eight square miles of grid searches.
County workers are expected to return to work today. Because many schools suffered significant damage during the storm, Charlotte County schools superintendent Dr. David Gayler said schools will remain closed until Aug. 27.
Manatee County Emergency Medical Services Capt. Greg Thomas stressed the significance of mutual aid in a time of disaster.
"This is a perfect time to show the support among the counties," he said. "As the hurricane moved up the coast, it could have struck Manatee County just as easily as it did here, and we would have needed the same type of assistance we're providing them."
If there are bodies in those trucks, then there must be a lot more than 14, otherwise the trucks would not be needed. There was a thread about "stacks of bodies", and also there was the hospital official interviewed on Fox who said there were 150 DOAs. But the count remains at 14 three days later.
Has anyone else found this curious?
I think when you're reporting fatalities, its not really our business to hear speculation. That only creates panic to families etc with uncontacted loved ones.
When they get firm numbers and make notifications they'll tell the truth. Until then we can wait.
It reminds me of 9/11 when everyone "speculated" that 10s of thousands were dead. All it did was create more (if its possible) panic, fear and sadness.
I don't find it curious at all. I see this more as an official who does not want to be misquoted or questioned as to why the numbers keep changing. I think they are more interested in taking care of the people and property in the area then letting the rest of us know how many bodies they have found so far.
For the life of me, I can't imagine any possible conspiracy that might be behind the delay.
When they have the correct number, they will release it.
I'm in St. Petersburg and I've thought from the minute the Hurricane turned suddenly that the death toll would be high. Also, I've heard rumors that one park alone had 60+ bodies. If that's the case, they need to come out with the info. Delaying it is going to anger people.
I also think it will become a political issue if the death toll is high.
... at her hospital, and she hadn't heard from the other three area hospitals. I'm somewhat curious about the way they're handling discussion of the actual count, but I think they're handling it tactfully. My prayers for the families affected by this catastrophe.
Also, I've heard rumors that one park alone had 60+ bodies. If that's the case, they need to come out with the info. Delaying it is going to anger people.
Who exactly will be angry? Angry about what?
I also think it will become a political issue if the death toll is high.
You honestly think the Bush Administration is going to sit on the death count until after the election?
If you don’t, what possible political angle do you see in them delaying the release of a huge number for a few days?
Once again, the media wants a body count. That is what they live for, not the well being of those living with the aftermath of the storm.
Besides if FEMA starts giving out numbers they have to put a name with that number which means someone should be notified.
Numbers are only important if you are keeping score. These people need help not conspiracy theories.
Yeah, I'd say "settle down."
In this instant news era, people think they have the right to every bit of information instantly.
Without electicity in the local funeral homes, it makes sense to store these bodies for a while in these special refrigerated trucks until relatives can take care of burial or medical examiners can perform autopsies.
I hate to say it but a lot of these old people will be dead before years end as a result of this thing. We lost our house in "mild" flood event a few years ago. The shock and stress made us both physically ill for a few months. There are going to be elderly who simply aren't going to be able to deal with it all. I doubt they will be included in any final total. Prayers with all.
We went through this same crap after Hurricane Andrew. There are still people that are convinced thousands of migrants died and the bodies were secretly burned in mass graves. According to them, all the Fire Rescue guys know about it and have been sworn to secrecy. Funny how much money one of them could make writing a book about it if it was true. That alone is enough reason for me to doubt it.
The government can't admit that it is powerless, and that its "measures" don't stand up against Nature. After all, how would their preparations stand up to war on our soil?
As for covering up the truth about anything? Business as usual. It would be interesting to know the actual motive, apart from what I've postulated.
They never did release the actual numbers of people killed by Hugo. There were many many more killed in that one than ever reported.
I do find it curious that they haven't released more details. I have no problem releasing data as appropriate but what I find strange is that this is not the way things usually work in this country (for the good or bad). With Andrew it seemed like 24/7 coverage. I get most of my updates from this storm on FR and TWC. It just seems strange. It's just BAU. Laci, Lori, Kobye, NJ Gov ...
No; I fear local (translate Dim) officials are sitting on it and Bush will take the heat.
If there had been no hurricane evacuation, they'd have probably lost more than that this weekend on the shuffleboard courts.
My point? Impressive forecasting technology was used and public-safety actions were taken. In many countries, there would be thousands dead.
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