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Thread Eighteen: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1198769/posts |
Posted on 08/10/2004 12:58:27 AM PDT by JustPiper
They are going to need a lot of help. I've been hearing a lot of people evacuated from northerly areas to the region it ended up hitting. I'm sure the specific bay was very well evacuated, but this is a very bad day for them.
Port Charlotte winds gusting to 109 miles per hour per the weather channel.
I know how you feel... I tried to sound more alarms than the media in my small circles. Too bad my circles are very small. :)
249
URNT12 KNHC 131956
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 13/1957Z
B. 26 DEG 39 MIN N
82 DEG 10 MIN W
C. 700 MB 2611 M
D. 110 KT
E. 162 DEG 003 NM
F. 229 DEG 148 KT
G. 162 DEG 003 NM
H. 941 MB
I. 9 C/ 3074 M
J. 20 C/ 2994 M
K. 7 C/ NA
L. CLOSED WALL
M. C5
N. 12345/07
O. 0.1/1 NM
P. AF963 0903A CHARLEY OB 35
MAX FL WIND 148 KT SE QUAD 1955Z.
It was still strengthening till it hit land. I bet some places felt Category 5 winds.
Very good live feed here:
http://waterbc.wm.llnwd.net/waterbc_netvideo
Eyewitnesses saying "Charlotte Harbor has been ripped apart"
I'm really worried about a co-worker, Vicki, who lives in Port Charlotte. This is her day off, and because we are fully staffed today, she didn't need to come in. Well, now we're all very concerned - obviously, there's no power down there. Her cell phone isn't working; we can't reach her.
We just hope she and her husband evacuated. The other day, she was saying her house was in the highest spot in Charlotte County - we're hoping that didn't give her a false sense of security. I can't imagine what she's going through now.
UPDATE: The roof is peeling off the Punta Gorda police department's headquarters. They might be in the middle of those 130-145 mph winds.
Punta Gorda had sustained winds at 120mph before the anemometer broke.
Since the storm went in so far south there are more indications now that this may re-emerge and strike the East Coast again.
I've seen that she's turned due north. Is she heading for Orlando?
I thnk it is going to get worst before it gets better.
Matthew 24
11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
Thank god, we finally got a hold of our co-worker, Vicki, down in Port Charlotte. She and her husband are hunkered down under their kitchen table with a mattress. They're losing shingles and part of their roof.
The eye is going over Arcadia now. Pretty soon, bands of Charley will whip around through our area ... but, all in all, we're so damn lucky.
I may actually be able to go home tonight after we finish putting the paper together.
Glad you're ok. Lots of accidents and injury from people being evacuated from Tampa to Ft. Myers area, from what I'm seeing.
They say Charley will be a Category 2 once it hits Orlando in a few hours, and by the time it reaches the Atlantic, it'll be a Category 1. Are the waters warm enough there to restrengthen Charley?
Beyond the shadow of a doubt. It's happened before more often than not, IIRC. nwctwx is the expert; I just have memory to go by.
THANK YOU Gozilla for that summary.
WTF is happening in Arcadia? A shelter getting ripped up?
The eyewall has maintaned itself quite nicely while over land the past 2 hours. There is undoubtedly a lot of damage inland from wind.
I have heard several reports of shelters falling apart.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/169950-2695-093.html
"Fire damages BP's Whiting Refinery"
?
?Associated Press
August 13, 2004
1,200 people, including some from the Tampa area in the Arcadia shelter. The roof is coming off.
I don't know about that ... but I heard that the roof got ripped off the Punta Gorda Emergency Operations Center after it had been evacuated.
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