Hurricane Charley Damage
 

Drove through Arcadia, FL, today, which is forty miles inland and was in the path of Charley. The town is pretty much completely destroyed -- I've never seen anything like it, before, and the pictures cannot convey the feeling you get seeing what has happened. Since I was driving, I didn't get to take many pictures, but I did get video that I will post later. Didn't stick around too long, either -- the locals have been without power, water, and telephones now for a full week so they don't look too happy to see people snapping pictures. Long lines for food, tent cities, the smell of things burning... its very unpleasant, even a full week later.



http://fox.org/~vince/out/arcadiatrees.jpg

Snapped by the sheer force of the wind. Large trees were down, everywhere, and those that happened to be still standing were without most of their leaves.

http://fox.org/~vince/out/arcadiatower.jpg

Ever wonder what the inside of a water tower looks like? Well, this is Arcadia's, now at ground level and missing its top. I can't imagine what it must have been like when this came crashing down.

Damn Kit, those are incredible. I wonder if anyone was in the trailer home when the water tower came down.

And notice the ladder in the tank. Was this taken in Petticoat Junction, by any chance? Is this the local swimmin' hole? Because I'd sure like to see Bobbie Joe pop out of there.

I wonder if anyone was in the trailer home when the water tower came down.

My guess is that the little trailer wasn't there during the storm and was placed there recently -- a lot of them have shown up as temporary living space for people now without homes. Although, I couldn't be sure, because there were a lot of brick buildings that had been completely demolished while some very light construction seemed untouched. It was strange to see what the hurricane had "selected".

A friend in DeBary sent me this picture link. :(
Click the photo gallery at the bottom.

Here's another picture in the WTF thread.

As I was sitting, not counselling people related to the recent PA flooding, I looked around at all the men and women from FEMA, who were in the midst of not helping people fill out paperwork for the government funds that flow from a national disaster declaration. I turned to my partner on the site and said, "Can't you feel it? This is a roomful of people who are all thinking, 'Damn, we could have gone to Florida, but NOoooo. We're in Upper Darby.'"

Hey Kit, remember that old worn down bar you posted pictures of recently? Any way you could see how that structure fared through Charley or was that in the path?

Hey Kit, remember that old worn down bar you posted pictures of recently? Any way you could see how that structure fared through Charley or was that in the path?

I actually passed by it on the way back from Arcadia. The place is in shambles -- completely destroyed. That is, to say, it hasn't changed a bit. ;)

Seriously, it didn't suffer any damage mostly because there isn't anything left to damage. It also didnt take a direct hit, either, probably only getting 50mph winds at the most. Power lines around it were down and a couple of telephone poles had been snapped and quicklly replaced, but the little bar and abandoned gas station that stands beside it appear untouched.

It is a big damage. Happend to see the similar Typhoon damage in China.

A Chinese girl sits at makeshift shelters flooded by heavy rainfall from Typhoon Rananim in the coastal town of Shitang, Zhejiang, eastern China, Friday Aug. 13, 2004. The most powerful typhoon to hit China in seven years roared inland on Friday after killing 115 people along the coast and mowing a swathe of destruction though farms, towns and fishing ports, state media reported.