The Abele's Web Site - Hurricane Charley

The Abele's

Hurricane Charley Page

On Friday, 13 August 2004, Florida was hit by Hurricane Charley. Charley came ashore on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 4 Storm packing winds in excess of 140 miles per hour. Charley ripped a path of destruction across Florida, killing 23 people and doing more than $7.4 billion in damages.

On Monday morning, one of my fellow crew members on the USS FLORIDA suggested that we go to our namesake state to assist with recovery and relief efforts. Less than 24 hours later, seven of us were heading 950 miles (15 hours) south to help the people of Florida recover from Charley. We arranged lodging at the in-laws of one of the volunteers. We chose Port Charlotte, Florida as it was amongst the hardest hit areas and was only 30 minutes from where lodging had been arranged.

Having weathered Hurricane Isabel the previous year, we thought we knew what to expect. When we got there, what we saw shocked us.

Being in charge of the group, I immediately contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when we arrived. We determined that the National Guard could best use our help. So we took over what was being called "Comfort Station Delta." This was a centralized area where residents could come to for relief aid: food, water, ice, clothing, blankets, tarps...anything they needed. Specifically, we took over the distribution of ice and water. In the six days we spent down there, the seven crew members of the FLORIDA spent 46 hours in 100°+ heat distributing 94,500 pounds of ice and 19,800 gallons of water to 5933 cars that passed through Comfort Station Delta from 17-24 August 2004.

The crew of the USS FLORIDA	Residents waiting in line for ice and water	Loading them up with water

Bringing in the ice	Giving them what they need	Trying to stay cool and hydrated

All in all, it was hot and hard work but one of the most fulfilling things I have done in such a long time. To quote one of my guys, "These people have nothing, and we give them something...it's priceless." The residents of Port Charlotte will be cleaning up and recovering from Charley for a long time. I only hope that the short time we were there, we made a difference for them.