Free Republic

It is with a heavy heart that I write this. I have no idea what is wrong with people today in this society and this country. My example I am going to use is a really really sad one. I was in Plant City as of Thursday night which for those who do not know is just north east of Tampa/St.Pete. I went down there to help a friend of mine who owns a house who happens to be a single mother of a 2 yr old girl. She needed help boarding up her house and sandbags etc. All finished...

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - When Cindy Vallier returned home Saturday after Hurricane Charley, the bodies of the old couple across the road were lying in her front yard, covered in blankets. Staring at the old man's black wheelchair and twisted walker wedged under her husband's upturned truck, Vallier wonders how she can bear to move back to Crystal Lake mobile home park. "Every time I walk down here, there's two dead people in my driveway," she said, envisioning the memory that will haunt her. She surveyed the twisted wreckage engulfing her home. It's what is left of her dead neighbors'...

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The death toll from Hurricane Charley rose early Saturday, when a county official said there had a been "a number of fatalities" at a mobile home park and deputies were standing guard over stacks of bodies because the area was inaccessible to ambulances. Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County's director of emergency management, said early Saturday that there were "a number of fatalities" at the mobile home park, and that there were confirmed deaths in at least three other areas in the county. The eye of the worst hurricane to hit Florida in a dozen years passed directly...

The National Hurricane Center has now upgraded Hurricane Charley to a CATEGORY 3 storm with SUSTAINED winds of 125 MPH. The storm is moving NNE at 20 MPH, and the center of the storm should reach Charlotte Harbor (about 2 hrs. SOUTH of Tampa) late this afternoon. This is good news for Tampa, as the worst of the storm will be to the south of Tampa Bay. The CAT 3 storm will come ashore in the Naples and Ft. Myers areas late this afternoon.

HURRICANE CHARLEY GOES BLACKWATCH PLAD

KDAB 131943Z 132018 15008KT P6SM SCT030 BKN080 OVC250 TEMPO 2022 16025G40KT 2SM +TSRA BKN020CB FM2200 14020G30KT P6SM SCT040 BKN060 OVC100 TEMPO 2224 16030G50KT 2SM +TSRA FEW015 BKN030CB FM0000 13040G60KT 3SM RA BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 0003 13045G65KT 1SM +RA OVC010 FM0300 14050G70KT 2SM +RA BKN010 OVC020 TEMPO 0306 14055G75KT 1/2SM +RA OVC006 FM0600 17055G75KT 2SM +RA BKN010 OVC020TEMPO 0609 17060G80KT 2SM SHRA BKN020 FM0900 20045G60KT 3SM RA BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 0912 20050G65KT 2SM +RA BKN015 OVC030 FM1200 23035G50KT P6SM SCT020 BKN040 OVC100 TEMPO 1215 23040G55KT 2SM +RA BKN015 OVC030

Hurricane Charley Whips Fla.; Three Dead 20 minutes ago , Associated Press Writers PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The worst hurricane to hit Florida since Andrew a dozen years ago left at least three people dead, caused widespread damage to oceanfront homes and trailer parks and knocked out power to a million customers. Hurricane Charley's eye passed directly over Punta Gorda, which took a heavy toll Friday. The town of 15,000 on Charlotte Harbor was left without power, and at least 40 people were injured. Photo AP Photo Canadian Press Photo Canadian Press Slideshow Slideshow: Hurricane Charley Related Links • Tampa...

By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Once Hurricane Charley is gone from Florida, it's a safe bet President Bush (news - web sites) will sweep in. Natural calamities present political opportunity, and many crucial electoral votes are in the path of Charley's howling winds. Bush swiftly issued a disaster declaration to expedite federal aid as Charley tore into the Florida Gulf Coast on Friday. He was acting on a request that had come from his brother Jeb, the governor, even before the ferocious storm made landfall. The president was expected to visit the area in the aftermath. Officials...

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Hurricane Charley (search) killed at least 15 people in Florida and flattened oceanfront homes, making thousands homeless before it roared north and struck the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. Wayne Sallade, Charlotte County's director of emergency management, said there were 10 confirmed deaths in the county, but an exact total was not available. "Not hundreds. I would hope that it would be limited to dozens, if that," Sallade said. Five people were killed elsewhere in the state. Charlotte County (search) deputies were standing guard over bodies because the area was inaccessible to ambulances. The strongest...

Another great example of the importance of the 2nd am Notice the shotgun on the green deck chair...

What happens if the two storms collide? I am not sure there is a chance of that but what would happen if they did?

For weather bug users, to watch the winds, pressure, temp etc, the Ft. myers zip code is 33901. Put that in the "options" button and watch the wind. Peak wind so far is 43 MPH.

An interesting conversation was on Fox News this morning. Stuart Varney (sp) mentioned that for the two months after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida the National GDP actually dropped. Then, when recovery efforts really kicked in, the national economy benefited. Many feel this drop was one of the reasons Bush I lost the election. The monetary costs of Charley will probably get close to, or exceed, the 27 billion dollar price tag of Andrew. This may cause the national economy to stall before the rebuilding efforts start in earnest and trickle into the economy. Might not be soon enough.

FORT MEADE -- Polk County's 44 years without a major hurricane ended emphatically Friday when Charley roared in from the south. Roofs disappeared, lights blinked off and trees crashed to the ground as the storm's eye moved in a northeasterly direction across the county. Charley was a raging mix of howling wind and blowing rain. Even for veterans of Hurricane Donna in 1960, Charley was a storm to remember. Fort Meade was the first community in Polk to feel Charley's power. The storm's eye crossed the county line about 6:45 p.m. Bert and Ginger Blackwelder of Fort Meade spoke by...

000 WTNT33 KNHC 131655 TCPAT3 BULLETIN HURRICANE CHARLEY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 17A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004 ...CHARLEY STRENGTHENS AS IT HEADS TOWARD FLORIDA WEST COAST... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM THE DRY TORTUGAS TO THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE...AND FOR THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM EAST CAPE SABLE NORTHWARD TO THE STEINHATCHEE RIVER. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION. THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE FLORIDA AND GEORGIA...

ALL FLORIDIANS, PLEASE COMMENT ON CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON SOUTHERN WEST COAST I'm inland from Tampa Bay about 25 miles. Dear God, I'm scared. I lost it all in Andrew in '92 and left South Florida after a year and a half to come to this area. Please keep me and all those going through this storm in your prayers. I'm alone here, and this storm's probably going to be very damaging and destructive. I'm picking up branches, objects lying about. I've filled the tub with water, I'll bringing in my dog and my birds, I haven't taped the windows...

TAMPA, Fla. - With a "scary, scary" Hurricane Charley zeroing in on Florida's west coast Friday, state officials urged almost 2 million tourists and residents to evacuate and avoid the path of a storm that could submerge parts of this city's downtown and other neighboring areas. Charley's expected 120 mph top sustained winds and massive storm surge could devastate coastal and low-lying areas in Tampa and St. Petersburg. Everything from waterfront condominium towers to vulnerable mobile homes were in danger on the Gulf Coast. Charley's center was expected to pass west of the Florida Keys early Friday before hitting the...

The National Weather Service has just issued a Tornado Watch for most of south Florida until at least 8:00 Friday morning. Hurricane City is streaming live coverage at http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram -- their coverage includes reports from The Weather Channel, from observers on the ground, plus streamed reports from local Miami television stations.

BULLETIN HURRICANE CHARLEY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 9A NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 2 PM EDT WED AUG 11 2004 ...CHARLEY BECOMES A HURRICANE...RAIN BANDS SPREADING OVER JAMAICA... A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM DRY TORTUGAS TO CRAIG KEY. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. ADDITIONAL WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA LATER TODAY. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER PLANE INDICATE THAT CHARLEY HAS STRENGTHENED...AND IS NOW A HURRICANE. AT 2 PM EDT...1800Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE CHARLEY WAS...

Two Tropical Storms Threaten Caribbean, Gulf MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Charley was born in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, joining Tropical Storm Bonnie as twin threats to the Caribbean region and the southern U.S. coast. Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Jamaica could be put under a storm watch later on Tuesday as Charley revved up between Venezuela and Puerto Rico. At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Charley was about 450 miles south-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at latitude 13 north and longitude 66.3 west, the hurricane center said. The storm was steaming west-northwest at...