2004 Hurricane season summary
Hurricane season leaves permanent marks.
By SUZETTE PORTER
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PINELLAS COUNTY - Residents returning to the county this fall may notice a few changes. For example, familiar landmarks including majestic trees that stood watch for hundreds of years are gone, having fallen victim to the history-making storms of August and September.
Pinellas County fared well in comparison to other areas of the state - still the signs remain of the impact of the storms. Five named storms in two months, including four major hurricanes, have left permanent marks.
Recovery from the storms is progressing into October as work continues to clean up storm debris, and workers repair damage to homes and businesses. Students are getting back into the routine of learning, after losing many school days because of the storms. Officials are still evaluating the impact of those lost days.
Historical season
According to information from the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center, August was a record month with a total of eight tropical cyclones reaching storm strength. The previous record of seven occurred in 1933 and 1995. As of Sept. 1, twice the normal number of storms had been named.
Alex started the action, becoming the first named storm of the month on Aug. 1. By Aug. 3 it had upgraded into a Category 3 hurricane. Although the storm originated off the east coast of Florida, it did not impact this state.
On Aug. 12, Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency because of a threat from back-to-back storms - Bonnie and Charley.
Fortunately, Tropical Storm Bonnie, which was named on Aug. 9, did not increase in intensity before making landfall in the panhandle on Aug. 12. The damage was minimal.
However, the second storm - Hurricane Charley - quickly intensified, causing county officials to put into practice plans most residents had hoped would never be needed. The board of commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 12 to declare the county a state of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas A, B and C. Residents of mobile home parks and low lying areas also were ordered to evacuate.
Retailers were swamped and the demand for such things as water, batteries and plywood far exceeded demand. Reports came in of gas shortages as many residents left for the east coast. County officials worried that not enough people were coming to the shelters.
Throughout Thursday night and Friday, weather forecasts continued to show the storm on a direct path for Tampa Bay and Pinellas County. Emergency officials were begging people to take shelter. The board of commissioners issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew in anticipation of the worst.
Miraculously, at the last moment, Charley - then a Category 4 hurricane - made a sharp eastward turn to come ashore the evening of Aug. 13 just north of Captiva, with measured sustained winds of 145 mph. The storm continued northward through the middle of the state, and the center passed near Kissimmee and Orlando early on Aug. 14.
Residents of this county watched news reports in shock as the damage reports came in. The phrase "it could have been us" was heard over and over again. By Saturday, things were almost back to normal, and groups and organizations began to mobilize relief efforts. People felt compelled to celebrate this county's luck by helping those in need.
Tropical Storm Danielle was next, forming from a tropical wave on Aug. 13; however, it was never a real threat to land. Earl also formed on Aug. 13, becoming a tropical storm on the 14th. By, the 15th, it was gone, having never gathered enough strength to do harm.
Then came Frances. Frances became a named tropical storm on Aug. 26, remaining away from land through the month's end.
The final storms in August were Gaston and Hermine, neither, of which were ever threats to Tampa Bay.
Labor Day weekend was far from normal. Hurricane Frances came ashore on the east coast near Sewall's Point early on Sept. 5 as a Category 2 storm and traveled west-northwest across the center of the state before exiting into the Gulf of Mexico on Sept. 6. It was downgraded to a tropical storm long before it impacted Pinellas County.
Once again, this county got lucky, and residents reacted with shock as reports of the death and destruction left behind in counties already reeling from the impact of Hurricane Charley.
Still, Pinellas had a mess to clean up and many buildings sustained damage. Many trees, some estimated to be as old as 300 years, were felled by the tropical force winds. Power outages were common, and some people went without electricity for almost a week.
Ivan was the next name weather forecasters added to the daily topic of conversation. According to a report from the National Hurricane Center, "Ivan was a classical long-lived Cape Verde Hurricane that made two landfalls along the U.S. coast and reached category 5 strength three times."
Ivan's forecast also put it on a course for Tampa Bay expected to arrive sometime on Sept. 12, and voluntary evacuation orders were issued by the county for those living in mobile and manufactured homes and low lying areas. Once again, retailers were hard pressed to keep up with demand for emergency supplies.
Ivan made landfall near Gulf Shores, Ala. on Sept. 16, and "lucky again" was the catchphrase of the day, as Ivan stayed farther offshore than originally forecast. Tropical force winds downed trees and structures and signs were damaged. Many residents lost power. Storm surge and flooding was experienced in coastal communities. But, all in all, damage was minimal.
Hurricane Jeanne is the last name on the list of this year's storms. Jeanne became a tropical depression on Sept. 13 while everyone's attention was focused on Ivan. Jeanne continued to circle in the Atlantic creating misery for people in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Haiti for almost two weeks before finally making its way to the state. Jeanne made landfall near Stuart as a Category 3 hurricane on Sept. 25.
Evacuation orders were issued just after midnight Saturday for people living in mobile and manufactured homes and low-lying areas. Many complained that the order came a bit late to be effective.
The storm moved across the state on Sunday, bringing heavy rains and tropical-force winds gusting to hurricane strength, especially in the northern parts of the county, throughout the day Sunday and into the night.
More than a third of residents lost power, and Progress Energy brought in manpower from as far away as California and Canada to assist in the restoration. Traffic signals were damaged and law enforcement spent three days directing traffic at major intersections. Lift stations were without power.
Roofs were damaged. Signs were blown away. And trees that had stood through the previous storms fell, unable to withstand the stress of the repeat battering of the winds. Storm debris littered the county, piling atop the debris from the previous storms.
Late October, and the county is still in the recovery phases. Some piles of debris still have yet to be removed. Some buildings and houses still have yet to be repaired. Volunteers and donations are still needed to help out in counties that didn't fare as well as this one.
Things have changed. People have changed - all the result of withstanding the stress of the storms.
Officially, hurricane season ends Nov. 30.
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