List of Known Damage Caused by Hurricane Charley
The Associated Press
Here's a county-by-county list of damage as reported by officials and on-the-scene reporters.CHARLOTTE (Punta Gorda):
- Up to 50 people brought to Charlotte Regional Medical Center with injuries, according to hospital CEO. Injured being airlifted to area hospitals because Charlotte hospital sustained heavy damage.
- Portions of roof ripped off, windows broken at Deep Creek Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Charlotte, according to administrator. No injuries.
- Seven fire stations destroyed, according to state emergency management officials.
- Numerous trailer homes destroyed.
- At Charlotte County Airport, winds tore apart small planes and blew out the windows of a sheriff's deputy's car. Hangers were collapsed and roofs were torn off buildings. The only building that did not suffer major damage was the Airport Authority building.
- The roof of the county's emergency operations center in Punta Gorda also blew off.
COLLIER (Naples):
- Officials said a "good portion" of the county was without power and there was some flooding. No serious reports of damage.
DESOTO (Arcadia):
- Reports of roof blown off at Turner Agri-Civic Center, a hurricane shelter where 1,200 people had gathered. One known injury.
- Large sections of U.S. 17 are peppered with down utility poles; some parts of the road completely blocked.
GLADES COUNTY (Okeechobee):
- Rural county on west side of Lake Okeechobee reported sporadic downed power lines, minor roof damage, trees down. Approximately 35 percent of the county without power.
HARDEE (Zolfo Springs):
- Entire county without power.
- Destruction of numerous homes and commercial buildings.
HIGHLANDS (Sebring):
- Several power lines down north of Sebring.
- Tree fell through roof of apartment building in Sebring, injuries unknown
- Radio tower knocked down.
HILLSBOROUGH (Tampa):
- No damage reported, sporadic power loss in the eastern portion of the county.
LEE (Fort Myers):
- Lee County property appraiser estimates 250,000 buildings structures, homes and churches were damaged, causing just under $3 billion in damage, said Booch DeMarchi, spokesman for Lee County Emergency Management. The estimate was derived from a computer program, and appraisers would not survey the scene until Saturday morning.
- A man in his mid-20s was killed when a banyon tree fell on him outside his house in Fort Myers, said Ileana LiMarzi, spokeswoman for Lee County Sheriff's Office. The victim stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, others in the house heard a loud crack, then found him under the tree, she said.
- Downed power lines, numerous downed trees and some roofs torn off by high wind.
- A tornado touched down in southwest Cape Coral, damage still being assessed.
- Cape Coral city hall sustained enough damage that employees hunkered down there and had to relocate to other parts of the building.
- Cape Coral hospital sustained significant damage to parts of its roof, windows and doors. There were no injuries reported.
- At least 135,000 customers were without power.
- Eyewitness video showed the roof of a Fort Myers post office ripped off. Officials say no one was in the building.
- Sanibel Bridge is closed until noon Saturday.
- Curfew in Fort Myers and Cape Coral from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m.
MONROE COUNTY (Key West):
- The Islander Resort on Islamorada suffered minor roof damage, but it was open Friday.
- A sailboat separated from its mooring and its mast struck a main electrical transmission line, causing temporary power outages in parts of the lower Keys.
- Minor street flooding reported.
ORANGE (Orlando):
- 360,000 customers without power, according to the two power companies Progress Energy and Orlando Utilities Commission.
OSCEOLA (Kissimmee):
-Three fire stations damaged, including one which was missing its roof.
- Six people suffered minor injuries when the roof of their hotel blew off. There were other minor injuries around the county, but no major injures reported, officials said.
- County issued curfew from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m.
PINELLAS (Clearwater-St. Petersburg):
- No damage reported, no power loss.
POLK (Bartow-Lakeland):
- Amateur radio operator reports several mobile homes destroyed.
SARASOTA (Sarasota):
- Several trees down.
VOLUSIA (Deland-Daytona Beach)
- Most of the cities in Volusia County are about 80 percent without power, said Dave Byron, director of community information. No specific numbers were available.
- Trees down, trees on power lines.
It's going to be bad, really bad.
Thank you for all the reports. Still no word from friends/family who live in Port Charlotte.
Thanks for the update...Sanibel Island doesn't look too promising.
How Stupid is this. Going outside to have a SMOKE in a hurricane. I feel sorry for this guys loved ones, but I can't feel any pity for someone this idiotic.
THat said, I do hope everyone who has friends and family they are waiting to hear from gets good news back. MY best friends Parents live between Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte right on the harbor. They livedin a mobile Home Park there and evacuated Friday Morning inland to a friends house. They have checked in this morning and are fine, but have no doubts thier Home is gone as it was within a couple miles of the Mobile Home park that the news is talking about.
MY parents live in a Motor Home in Okeechobee. They are currently with my Cousin in Stuart and are fine, but they have no idea yet what they will find when they return home. While thier home was about 70-80 miles inland from Fort Myers, they do know the power is out and that there are reports of wind and tornado damage in the neighborhood they live in.
Finally, My aunt & Uncle live in Daytona right on 95, about 2 miles from the speedway. They are without power and we have not been able to reach them on thier cell. We are hoping thier home did not take any or much damage as the storm passed through there.