Hurricane Charley
Update: 23 June 2005
Profile
|
Event dates |
11 - 15 August 2004 |
|
Affected areas |
Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Cuba, US (Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina) |
|
Fatalities |
39 |
|
Injured |
> 210 (at least 150 in Arcadia; 60 in Charlotte County) |
|
Economic loss |
USD 21.3 bn |
|
Insured loss |
USD 7.9 bn |
Event description
Reaching hurricane force on 11 August 2004, Charley first passed Jamaica to the south. Two days later, it reached Cuba as a Category 2 hurricane, making landfall 40 km south of Havana. With winds up to 165 km/h, it passed within 25 km of the capital. While some 200 000 people were evacuated before the storm, there were four fatalities. The storm demolished 4 177 houses, damaged some 70 000 and flattened about 23 000 hectares of fruit plantation.
Once over Cuba, Charley gained strength and on 13 August 2004 made landfall again near Charlotte Harbor, Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with wind of 230 km/h. It moved relatively quickly in a northeasterly direction over Florida and then out to the Atlantic Ocean before making its second US landfall as a tropical storm at South Carolina's Grand Strand resort region, with winds gusting to 112 km/h. Two days later, it moved onward to North Carolina and was downgraded to a tropical depression.
The storm's fast pace (exceeding 35 km/h) was encouraging: since fast moving storms have less time to innundate an area, there tends to be less flooding.
Charley was the first hurricane since Donna (1960) to make landfall on Florida's west coast. It was also the largest event since Andrew, which resulted in insured losses of about USD 16 bn in 1992 (USD 21 bn calculated at 2003 price levels).
There were at least 25 fatalities and hundreds of houses in Florida sustained major roof damage as Charley left a 320 km path of destruction from Lee County to Volusia County. Hurricane force winds were experienced in a 80 km wide corridor. Roughly one million people were left without power, and federal officials declared 25 of Florida's 67 counties as disaster areas, making them eligible for federal aid.
Charlotte County was the area most affected in Florida, and Punta Gorda experienced substantial damage. Many residents were caught unprepared because it was believed the storm would hit further north. Thirty-one mobile home parks suffered major damage. In Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, some 80% of residential properties sustained moderate roof damage, but the rest were damaged extensively. The estimated median values of these buildings ranged from USD 100 000 to USD 500 000.
Lee County, which includes Sanibel Island, Captiva Island and Fort Myers beach, was also heavily hit. Some 250 000 buildings were reported damaged. The values of luxury homes on these islands is as high as USD 1 m. In Cape Coral, single family homes range in value from USD 150 000 to USD 500 000. In South Carolina, where Charley struck the northern coast, there were no fatalities or injuries and little damage was reported.
Economic loss
The Insurance Information Institute initially estimated US economic losses at some USD 15 bn. In Cuba, politburo member Pedro Saez announced that Charley caused more than USD 1 bn in damages. Jamaica's agricultural sector was hard hit, with crop and livestock damage estimated at JMD 88.4 m (USD 1.44 m).
Insured loss
The insured loss has been estimated at USD 7.9 bn. The Property Claims Service estimate was USD 7.5 bn. Residential buildings constitute a major part of the losses and are covered under the Florida Wind Pool (USD 15 bn capacity).
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