4 years ago today...

[tolakram]

surge from a cat 5 does not compare to a giant tsunami.

From the various videos, the tsunami in Banda Aceh was 10' to 15' in most places (that video was shot from a second-floor). A storm surge funneling up one of those bays would behave fairly similar: it'll pile up and accelerate. It wouldn't be a gentle rise. (And how many retirees are living in two-story steel/concrete-pillared homes in those towns? Not many, I'll bet. As New Orleans demonstrated, even a gently rising flood will kill large numbers of the mobility-impared.)

People have warnings of a hurricane approaching, the mass of dead bodies from an unexpected tidal wave adds nothing to this conversation. That's my main point. I'm sure it can be argued that surge might be as bad, but nothing can compare to that tsunami.

[southerngreen]

shades of Charlie - "they" don't expect much intensification of Faye because of it crossing the islands, but the track of this thing is enough to give me the shivvers.

we were driving north on I75 and watching the nasty clouds turn into anvils and having our mini van bounced aroundwondering if we would have anything to come back to
then, voila! it didn't come into Tampa Bay after all, but smacked folks down south.

i sure hope we all learned something from that dress rehearsal.

[NFLnut]

I'd trade Charley for Katrina any day. Any takers? I still remember the sudden upgrade shortly after the 11am advisory. I drove thru Port Charlette last year. It was 3 years after Charley and the recovery had progressed well, I could hardly tell a Cat-4 had hit......MGC

Sorry, but I would NOT!

I feel for those folks who had to deal with Katrina, but after 48 years of living with Hurricanes, I don't EVER want to experience another "Charley" again! Charley pummeled my house just NE of Orlando. My mother was out of her Orlando home for 10 months, and she is married to an insurance agent for a MAJOR company.

And there are many sections of Port Charlotte that never rebuilt. You just didn't drive through those parts.

[DanKellFla]

All of a sudden, the country heard about Punta Gorda. I never would have thought that town would ever get national attention.