What Hurricane Charley’s Impact Looked Like.
Hurricane Irma is projected to make landfall as a Category 5. Hurricane Charley was a Category 4.
Hurricane Charley Made Landfall On Captiva & North Captiva Islands On Friday, August 13, 2004.
The days and hours leading up to that Friday, August 13th involved the typical hurricane preparations and precautions on the islands. In retrospect, we all took it all a too casually.
The islands had had a decades’ long run of avoiding significant impact from a hurricane and that probably gave more than a bit of overconfidence that Sanibel & Captiva Islands would dodge this storm again, just like all the others.
Captiva, North Captiva, and Sanibel had been largely evacuated, but until the very last-minute, everyone expected that the islands we’re going to avoid the brunt of Hurricane Charley’s force and escape with just a good scare and a lot of rain.
Hurricane Charley, Storm Path, Captiva, Florida, August 13, 2004, 10 Year Anniversary.
Hurricane Charley’s trajectory was predicted to continue north in the Gulf of Mexico and only deliver a glancing blow to Captiva and North Captiva Islands.
However, at about noon that Friday the 13th, Hurricane Charley’s path unexpectedly shifted slightly but significantly northeast and, an hour or so later, Charley slammed into Captiva and North Captiva Islands. Just a little while later, it hit the mainland and Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, Florida and did even more damage.
Charley hit the northern tip of Captiva Island and the southern tip of North Captiva Island with tremendous force. It was the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in Florida since
Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992. Charley’s wind speed was 150 miles per hour when it reached the islands and the impact was immediate and severe, with widespread structural damage.
Bubble Room, Hurricane Charley 13 Year Anniversary, Landfall, August 13, 2004.
Captiva and North Captiva Islands were impacted significantly, but the homeowners and businesses on both islands were resilient, banded together, and rebuilt. The islands recovered and became again a thriving and beautiful if changed, great place to vacation and live within a year or two after Hurricane Charley.
