Punta Gorda - 7 weeks after Hurricane Charley

Made a trip down to Punta Gorda this evening ... my third since Hurricane Charley devastated this little town. The cleanup is pretty much completed, but the tarped roofs, the piles of rubble that until recently were homes or businesses, and the buildings that haven't been torn down (looking like a bomb had gone off inside), are still vivid reminders of what kind of damage the Hurricane did.

I think the one example of the Hurricane's power that will always stick in my mind, is a pine tree along the southbound lane of Interstate 75. While many other trees were either toppled or were snapped in half like a toothpick, this one tree stands out, because it's simply bent (not broken) about 90 degrees! It still amazes me to see this tree just bent like that without actually snapping.

Went to one of my favorite spots, Harpoon Harry's, a nice bar & restaurant. It's located right on Charlotte Harbor ... ground zero for Hurricane Charley. It had been closed due to Hurricane damage, but just recently reopened for business. It still looks the same ... except for the missing dock that ran around the outside of the building. The pilings were the only things left.

Looks like it might take quite some time for this scar on Punta Gorda to completely heal ... if it ever can.