Worst case senario.....

[MGC]

I'm afaid this has been a worst case senario. A rapidly deepening hurricane making an unexpected turn. Watching the news this morning, many people interviewed didn't expect Charley. Most said they expected Charley to go to Tampa. I've been watching Fox this morning and many deaths apparently occured in trailer parks near Punta Gorda. In this day and age how can this be? The absolute last place to be is in a trailer. News reports estimate that hundreds may have perished.......MGC

[Ixolib]

...and that holds true even IF the storm was projected for Tampa. In either case, they would have been on the east/south side of the storm. The local authorities SHOULD have been more aggressive, I think. Especially in mobile home parks.

[charleston_hugo_veteran]

With such an uncertainty, their should have been a MANDATORY evac. from Tampa on down!

[Aquawind]

With such an uncertainty, their should have been a MANDATORY evac. from Tampa on down!

They did have!!!! People don't know what it means..

[Stephanie]

It was a worst-case scenerio, but there were reports that people in and around the Tampa area weren't paying heed to it either. I hope that this is FINALLY and huge wake-up call to EVERYONE that lives in a hurricane prone area, even up by me. Do you want to talk COMPLACENT? One of these days, the MidAtlantic and Northeast will be staring down the barrel of the "Big One" and we'll probably have very similar reports as what we're seeing right now.

[SwampDawg]

Unfortunately this is probably a product of not receiving a storm for quite some time. From the way it is beginning to sound, people did not take Charley seriously.

[Ixolib]

With such an uncertainty, their should have been a MANDATORY evac. from Tampa on down!

They did have!!!! People don't know what it means..

In Mississippi, MANDATORY means just that. People can be, and are, arrested and detained if they refuse to leave a particularly vulnerable area - like mobile home parks!!

[zoeyann]

Ixolib-never seen them do that in Louisiana, but I certainly think they should. Better to arrest people than let them die. I just do not think everyone has the resorces though.

[ncbird]

I am sitting praying that my family who live in Punta Gorda are safe.... why... how could this happen. Well I can tell you what happen with my family. They are the unknowing ones who are transplanted from the North and have never been through a hurricane. Despite my urging them to leave cause my belief is Mother Nature has a mind of her own, they listened and watched TV as all the news reported it going to Tampa. Sure the Weather people were reporting it could deviate... but all the hype was on Tampa. It was going to Tampa is what stuck in their minds. By the time it turned and they realized they were in trouble, they were being told to ride it out as it was too dangerous to go out on the roads.

Do I blame forecaster's.... NO, they were putting the info out as they saw it.

Do I blame News... NO they have a story to tell. That is their job. I am sure if they had any idea this thing was gonna head where it did, they would have been there.

Do I blame officials. NO they did their jobs and did they fantastically

Do I blame my family and people who stayed... NO.. they are not pro's.. they don't know.

I blame no one. Everyone does what they do to the best they can but this was one of those acts of nature that when we live along the coast we must endure. It is the price we have chosen to pay in order to live in the beauty that keeps us living along the coast.

[zoeyann]

ncbird- I hope your family is safe. My prayers are with you.

[Ixolib]

Ixolib-never seen them do that in Louisiana, but I certainly think they should. Better to arrest people than let them die. I just do not think everyone has the resorces though.

The law changed here as a result of Camille. It's not "enforced" acorss the board - primarily because of resources - but in obviously vulnerable areas, it is.

[Aquawind]

With such an uncertainty, their should have been a MANDATORY evac. from Tampa on down!

They did have!!!! People don't know what it means..

In Mississippi, MANDATORY means just that. People can be, and are, arrested and detained if they refuse to leave a particularly vulnerable area - like mobile home parks!!

I like the idea..takes alot of resources though..

[zoeyann]

Ixolib-The thing is I get so angry when a mandatory evacuation is called for my area and I see people who are not prepareing or leaving and the police are passing right by and they are not making people leave. I feel like if people do not understand they need to get out someone should make them understand. I don't think anyone should be left behind in danger, but I am idealistic and in reality I guess there are not enough resources.

[Lindaloo]

You are exactly right Ixolib. Mississippi takes mandetory evacs seriously. Before georges, I know at least 5 people who were transported to the local PD because of the non-compliance of the mandetory evac.

[Ixolib]

I couldn't agree more. It is a daunting process to forceably make people respond, but in these extreme situations, extreme measures are necessary.

[Lindaloo]

I forgot to mention that the 5 people who were upset at the police were thanking them two days later. Their home was destroyed by flood.

[Ixolib]

I forgot to mention that the 5 people who were upset at the police were thanking them two days later. Their home was destroyed by flood.

[goodlife]

Even if it would have went up to Tampa...it would have ridden the coastline all the way there...All of these coastal areas would have faced the east side of the storm at some point or another and would have gotten the water...and still probably hurricane force winds...
Just because the eyewall wasn't predicted to go over some of these areas....anybody who thought they were in the clear is just foolish....and I know they were urging ...no, TELLING everybody who lived in mobile homes TO GET OUT.