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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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October
2004
Volume 7
- Number 1 |
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Hurricane Charley Recovery Update Ron Fite Florida felt the impact of Hurricane Charley on August 13th, as the Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 145 mph gusting to 180 mph made landfall on Florida’s west coast near Punta Gorda. Charley continued northeast through central Florida to the Atlantic, leaving the state near Daytona Beach as a Category 1 storm. Twenty-six counties were declared federal disaster areas and qualified for individual assistance. All sixty-seven counties in Florida qualified for federal debris removal and protective measures assistance. Coming only thirty-six hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie struck Florida’s panhandle, this was the strongest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The storm caused significant damage. Over 1.1 million customers were left without power. Estimates placed 40,000 people with significant damage to their homes and, 17 million cubic yards of debris to be removed. The Insurance Institute estimated $7.4 Billion in damage to insured properties, and other estimates placed the damage to Florida’s citrus crop at $150 Million. Twenty-seven people lost their lives due to the storm. Florida’s State Emergency Response Team (SERT), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), county emergency response organizations, and other humanitarian and volunteer organizations have worked tirelessly to respond to the disaster and help Floridians recover from the damage. At the peak of the disaster recovery efforts, 228 shelters housed 47, 458 evacuees, and 59 special needs shelters housed 3,119 evacuees. All airports were reported open by August 15th. All roads were reported as opened by August 18th. Over 98% of Florida’s cell phone customers had service on August 22nd. By August 23rd, schools had re-opened in all but three counties, which re-opened on the 30th. By August 27th, Florida Power and Light (FPL) had completed repairs, and had provided power to the last of its customers, 2 days ahead of its August 29th target date. The Florida National Guard mobilized 4,610 soldiers and airmen, who completed over 165 missions including security, logistics support, search and rescue, debris removal, billeting, air support, and other activities. An estimated 1.69 million meals were served and approximately 700,000 Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) were delivered. 2.3 Million gallons of water, 18.7 Million lbs of ice, 18 truckloads of food, and 9 truckloads of baby food were distributed. Within twenty days of the storm, FEMA had inspected over 63,000 properties which is more property inspections in less time than any other previous disaster with inspections averaging two days after the initial request for aid. The Small Business Administration has approved over $35.9 Million in disaster loans and over $500 Million in federal and state emergency response funds had been spent by Sept 17th. Sources: Florida Emergency Operations Center, Hurricane Charley Relief and Recovery Effort: http://floridadisaster.org/eoc/Charley04.asp FEMA Hurricane Charley Disaster Page: http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=3455 The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/news/0,1074,0_312_,00.html Small Business Administration Florida Disaster Page: http://www.sba.gov/gopher/Disnews/disnfl.html CNN website: http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/16/news/economy/charley_insurance/index.htm http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/08/18/charley/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/08/14/storms/index.html |