Hurricane 'Charley' Causes 'Significant Loss of Life'

Hurricane
The death toll from Hurricane Charley rose early Saturday, when a county official said there had been a "significant loss of life" 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 over Punta Gorda, a town of 15,000 which took a devastating hit Friday. A slightly weaker Charley bore down on the South Carolina coast early Saturday, and the center was expected to approach the coast by morning. In Florida, hundreds of people were missing in Charlotte and thousands were left homeless, Sallade said. He compared the devastation with 1992's Hurricane Andrew, which the National Hurricane Center directly blamed for the deaths of 26 people, most in South Florida. "It's Andrew all over again," he said. "We believe there's significant loss of life." Sallade did not have an estimate on a specific number of fatalities. He said it may take days to get a final toll. Extensive damage was also reported on exclusive Captiva Island, a narrow strip of sand west of Fort Myers. President Bush declared a major disaster area in Florida, making federal money available to Charlotte, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties. One million customers were reported without power statewide, including all of Hardee County and Punta Gorda. The Category 4 storm was stronger than expected when the eye reached the mainland at Charlotte Harbor, pummeling the coast with winds reaching 145 mph and a surge of sea water of 13 to 15 feet. Charley was forecast to spread sustained winds of about 40 mph to 60 mph across inland portions of eastern North Carolina and to dump 3 to 6 inches of rain beginning Saturday morning, forecasters said. Gov. Mike Easley declared a state of emergency. In South Carolina, roads clogged Friday night as tourists and residents of the state's Grand Strand - beaches and high-dollar homes and hotels - heeded a mandatory evacuation order. Gov. Mark Sanford had urged voluntary evacuation earlier Friday. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Damage is seen to Punta Gorda, Florida, after the eye of Hurricane Charley made landfall here Saturday, Aug. 14, 2004. (AP)

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