CHECK FOR UPDATES ON THIS STORM: VIEW RECENT STORM REPORTS | GET THESE REPORTS IN YOUR EMAIL BOX
From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) (ferrell{at}weathermatrix.net)
Date: Sun Aug 15 2004 - 10:29:50 EDT
There is a lot of news about Hurricane Charlie on the Net today. I think
DrudgeReport.com has pointed to the two most important articles which I
have quoted from below. Other news is available from Google:
<http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&ie=ascii&q=hurricane+charley>
1. Destruction Summary With Top Photos
<http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040814/D84F9PL81.html>
QUOTES:
"PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) - Rescuers rummaged through a chaotic landscape of
pulverized homes and twisted metal Saturday, racing to tally Hurricane
Charley's "significant loss of life" and help thousands left homeless by
its vicious winds and rain. At least 15 people were confirmed dead. "Our
worst fears have come true," said Gov. Jeb Bush, who surveyed the
devastation by helicopter. The Category 4 storm was expected to cost
Florida "at least several billion dollars," said Loretta Worters,
spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute. He said "thousands
upon thousands of people" lost their homes. Hundreds were unaccounted for
in the county, which includes Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, the apparent
hardest-hit areas. Extensive damage was also reported on exclusive Captiva
Island, a narrow strip of sand west of Fort Myers. The storm and its
145-mph winds knocked out power to some 2 million homes and businesses as
it crossed from the southwest coast at Punta Gorda to the Atlantic at
Daytona Beach. Some 1.3 million remained without power Saturday afternoon,
emergency officials said, and downed lines slowed some rescuers."
1. Government & Media Forecast Success Summary
<http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040814/D84F9A8G2.html>
QUOTES:
""A lot of people think we can give them a near perfect forecast. We know
we can't give them a near perfect forecast."
Charley quickly grew from a Category 2 to a Category 4 storm Friday and
its course took a sharp turn to the right, which put it some 70 miles south
of the originally projected bull's-eye. With so much media focus on Tampa
and St. Petersburg, many residents in and around Punta Gorda were caught
unprepared. Although Charley's path had the storm heading toward the Tampa
area, Berg said the warning swath encompassed a much larger area - as far
south as Punta Gorda, in fact. The swath takes into account any errors, he
said. "We were not saying Tampa. We were saying the west coast of Florida,"
Berg said. The media's fixation with "Tampa, Tampa, Tampa," gave the public
the wrong idea, he noted. Charley's turn to the right was not a big
deviation, but because the hurricane was moving parallel to the coast, it
ended up making a big difference in the landfall area, Berg said. The
difference wouldn't have been nearly as extreme if the storm had been
moving perpendicular to the coast, he said. As for its sudden strength,
it's not uncommon for storms in the Gulf of Mexico to rapidly intensify,
Berg said. "We're just not that good with it yet."
--
===================================================================
Jesse Ferrell - Meteorologist / Webmaster / Founder - WeatherMatrix
8000 Weather Enthusiasts Can't Be Wrong! www.weathermatrix.net
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
====================================================================
StormReports Email List -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE, EMAIL A BLANK MESSAGE TO:
stormreports-unsubscribe{at}wxmatrix-membersonly ; For Options Including
1 Per Day, Temporary Suspending, And More, Visit This Web Address:
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/stormreports/join
THESE REPORTS ARE MADE PUBLIC ON THE WEATHERMATRIX.NET WEBSITE!
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://wxmatrix-membersonly/group/stormreports/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
stormreports-unsubscribe{at}wxmatrix-membersonly
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
