Remembering Hurricane Charley 20 years later

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Hurricane Charley made landfall in Southwest Florida and caused significant damage.

On Aug. 13, 2004, on a Friday, the small but extremely powerful Category 4 tore through SWFL like a buzzsaw, destroying infrastructure across the area.

The storm made landfall at 3:45 p.m. on North Captiva with winds of 150 mph and gusts up to 173 mph.

The National Hurricane Center said that the maximum storm surge associated with Charley was six to seven feet on Sanibel and Estero islands.

“This was less than expected due to a number of factors, including an increase in the storm’s speed, the eyewall shrinking and the tide receding,” NHC said.

Charley moved north-northeastward and caused significant damage across Florida’s peninsula from Punta Gorda to Port Charlotte. It then struck Orlando to Palm Coast, which is north of Daytona Beach.

The storm caused 10 direct deaths in the U.S.

The days to follow after Hurricane Charley were dark.

“No power for about 17 days, no lights, no landmarks that you might recognize because everything was destroyed, and just the sound of generators running all night,” said John Elias, Director of Public Works, Charlotte County.

But the community came together to build back stronger day by day.

“It’s a long process. It’s not a sprint. It’s more of a marathon,” Elias said.

20 years later, Charlotte County is built back up to withstand future storms.

“The buildings that we have today are much stronger, and I think as devastating as Ian was, much of the buildings that were built under that new code did survive,” said Dr. Jennifer Zoebelein, historian for Charlotte County.

Zoebelein has researched Hurricane Charley and, with that research, put together displays for all the Charlotte County libraries with old newspapers from 2004, books and an interpretive banner with information.

“As a historian, I think it’s always important that we remember these significant events, these benchmark events. Talking about the 20th anniversary of Charley, looking back and looking at the community that rebuilt, looking at where this community is now, and how it has rebuilt after Ian, and where we’re going in the future,” she said.

Charley caused an estimated $14 billion in economic losses.

Hurricane Ian, which hit Southwest Florida in 2022, was the strongest storm to hit the area since Charley.