Officials reluctant to release death toll (Hurricane Charley)

[Junkdrawer]

CHARLOTTE COUNTY - Two refrigerated trucks sat in the wind-torn parking lot of the Best Western Water Front Inn off the tranquil waters of Charlotte Harbor, serving as a temporary morgue for the casualties of Hurricane Charley.

Four people may have been killed by the storm in Charlotte County, some reports indicate, and Charley led to at least 16 deaths statewide during its forceful push Friday through Florida.

With ongoing search and rescue efforts stretching into the evening hours Sunday, Charlotte County emergency officials declined to confirm the county's fatalities.

"We've never dealt with a mass casualty event, and we're not yet prepared to (verify) or acknowledge the number of fatalities," said Wayne Sallade, director of Charlotte County's emergency management. "Yes, there are fatalities. Yes, there are people in those refrigerated trucks at the temporary morgue, but we're not prepared to say how many. At this point, I'm not sure that I have the accurate number.

...

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/9411262.htm

Simple question: WTF do you mean you can't count the bodies in the refrigerated trucks?

[Demeter]

1. We Have Our Own Disappeared

Or perhaps the Feds are embarrassed by the fiasco of fraudulent death claims from 9/11 and don't want to have another round of that.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

39. Just imagine how many illegal, undocumented, or homeless there are

Perhaps we can get the Cuban Americans riled up against the Bushes even more?

My expectation is the final number will be 10x the initial toll of 15 (150).

[KittyWampus]

2. 16 Deaths Are 16 Too Many. But Would 16 Require 2 Trucks?

There have been intimations that there are many more dead and yet the toll never went higher than the teens.

Condolences to those bereaved families.

Could they be withholding info that is much more horrifying?

Like Iraq/

[tom_paine]

3. Yes they could. The Sovietization of Amerika is nearing completion

I'm afraid that, absemt a Free Press and a Free Nation, I must distrust most everything the Imperial Scum says.

Many more than 16. They WILL be disappeared, or more in keeping with Amerikan Pravda, the REAL numbers will be released quietly (and not on TV) some time from now, allowing everyone to righteously proclaim

No State-Controlled Censorship HERE!

But that would be another Lie of the Sycophantic Bootlicking Pravda Whores, now wouldn't it?

[Jazzgirl]

9. Very well said Tom.

I too suspect there are many more deaths than the 17 (last I looked) they're reporting. After looking at the dammage its hard to imagine that so few were killed, especially in the areas that weren't prepared for the storm. I am so sick of the *imperial "leadership."

:mad:

[Junkdrawer]

4. If the death count went over 100, questions about warnings might be asked

Questions some brothers named Bush may not want in the press. So we get "feel good" headlines about "help pouring in" while Florida DUers are struggling to find food and water.

[tlcandie]

10. EXACTLY!!!! And this is 2004 election ... we can't hinder it nor

mess up jebbie's devious plans to win yet again for his brother! It's all about politics and $$$.

Can't have to many questions or anything doubtful or nasty referring to the * name now, can we?

I am so sick of our government after reading a book (not finished yet, but thoroughly disgusted) titled, "Who Will Tell the People" by Grieder. We lost our country with Poppy and gained it partially back, but we've never fully recovered. Unless something drastic happens, it's a goner. That book is an eye popper and so very sad to know where we've come!

:cry:

[Junkdrawer]

13. BTW: 16 STATEWIDE. Only 4 in Charlotte County...

according to the article.

[patcox2]

33. Natural mortality will require storing bodies.

About a million people were affected by this storm; natural mortality rate is probably in the dozens per day. If funeral homes aren't operating, next of kin are away or can't be located, they would have to start storing lots of bodies for delayed funerals.

I would like to see one single credible source that actually says something instead of just speculating, instead of circular links to one rense story.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

5. How about some information.

There's gotta be someone on DU who knows about standard FEMA / emergency services responses with respect to these kinds of things. At least then we'd have a basis for comparison.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Check dmr's post #71 in this GD thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2221052&mesg_id=2223271&page=

[merh]

8. Living on the MS Gulf Coast, I will give you a basis for

comparison. The civil defense folks do not limit the landfall of a hurricane to one city and ignore the other areas next to or in close proximity to the city. They call for evacuations throughout the Gulf Coast if the hurricane is headed our way. They don't say, it will only it city A, so City B doesn't need to evacuate, they KNOW that you cannot predict the landfall of a hurricane. Look at the maps of the predicted land fall that you see on t.v., you an tell that the National Weather Service will not predict a precise town that will be hit, they put out hurricane warnings for miles of coast line that CAN be effected. They suggest evacuations on all sides of the possible target.

During Hurricane Camille, the local emergency services, the air force and the seabees all worked during the hurricane to assist in evacuations, they drove huge trucks and the amphibious ducks to rescue folks during Camille. The emergency services folks don't hole themselves up and wait for a hurricane to pass.

I have worked in the civil defense office during storms and I have worked with law enforcement and I can tell you that in MS, things are not shut down until the storm passes, rescues and evacuations will go on even when the storm has hit. The main concern of the civil defense and emergency services are the vulnerable, the elderly, the home bound. If the storm had come here, the police and sheriff's deputies would have been in all of the low lying areas calling for evacuations using loud speakers. We actually have telephone system that calls telephones in the county to advise if the area is evacuated.

Something went terribly wrong when Charley came in - the evacuation orders were too limited and the emergency services folks (probably due to no funding) were overwhelmed. My gosh, the storm hit in the afternoon, early evening, it wasn't like they had to wait for day break to try to help folks. My guess is the funding just wasn't there. The national guard should have been called out before the storm hit or at least been on stand by.

[tlcandie]

11. They actually said they would NOT be performing any suicide missions

so you better get out while the gettin' is good! I think you are right on... something went terribly wrong.

[merh]

12. When I rode around with law enforcement a few years back

during a hurricane we did not consider them suicide missions, we considered them life saving missions. We rescued elderly that had no way out of their homes, we transported the ill that needed to have their equipment hooked up to generators that would keep the electricity flowing, we even transported extra car batteries to one facility and rigged them to a dialysis (sp?) machine.

It is so sad :cry: that the vulnerable were left to fend for themselves.

[TeeYiYi]

14. What went wrong . . .

. . . IMO, is that there was never a mandatory evacuation order for Charlotte County. It was only voluntary and came way too late to be useful. By the time the hurricane had changed from a category 2 to a category 3 (briefly) and then to a category 4 (in less than 45 minutes) and was heading straight for Charlotte Harbor there was no time to evacuate; with the possible exception of finding a local shelter. The last place you want to be in a category 4 hurricane is in your car and stuck in a traffic jam while trying to make a last minute dash for safety. Visitors were encouraged to evacuate starting on the 11th but residents were told to begin gathering enough water and supplies to last 3 to 7 days and to continue monitoring radio, television, newspapers and websites for more updates.

Evacuation orders as of Friday 13th (the day of the hurricane for crying out loud):

EVACUATIONS: Mandatory for visitors, nonresidents and mobile home residents in Monroe County (Florida Keys). Pinellas and Hillsborough counties have asked up to 680,000 Tampa Bay residents to evacuate from coastal or low-lying areas. Mandatory for tourists and residents of coastal areas of Lee, Sarasota, Hernando counties, Manatee, Pasco and Marco Island, Everglades City, and points in Naples in Collier County. Voluntary for people in Glades, Levy, Charlotte, DeSoto, Taylor, and other parts of Collier County that aren't mandatory.

http://cbs4.com/floridanews/FL--TropicalWeather-D-dn/resources_news_html


Jeb Bush signed this executive order on the 11th putting Craig Fugate in charge and then (went on vacation?):

GOVERNOR BUSH SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER
RELATING TO TROPICAL STORMS BONNIE AND CHARLEY
~ State Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 activation~
TALLAHASSEE— Governor Jeb Bush today signed Executive Order 04-182, in
response to the anticipated landfall of Tropical Storms Bonnie and Charley on Florida’s
western coasts. The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) is activated to a Level
2, or partial activation.
In anticipation of either or both tropical storms strengthening into Category 1 hurricanes,
the executive order declares a state of emergency for the entire State of Florida. The
order further designates Craig Fugate, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency
Management, as the State Coordinating Officer and gives Director Fugate authority to
act as the Governor’s representative. This order enables the State Emergency
Response Team (SERT) to coordinate and allocate the necessary state resources to
protect citizens and render aid to the local communities and counties to meet the needs
of this emergency.
For additional information on Tropical Storms Bonnie and Charley, and the State
Emergency Response Team, please visit the Florida Division of Emergency
Management on-line at: www.FloridaDisaster.org
###

I agree with you . . . I think something went terribly wrong. Maybe it falls on Craig Fugate, but what about Jeb?. It never made sense to me that he wouldn't be evacuating the entire southwest gulf coast of Florida from Tampa on down to Key West. What do you suppose the point of that executive order was? It only mentions "in the event of a category 1" and was issued less than two days prior to expected landfall.

I saw on the news tonight that there are 5000 National Guard troops on the ground NOW and helping out. Could that be true? I have my doubts. I smell a FUBAR coverup. I've seen a lot of footage and not until tonight did I see any NG guys and it wasn't 5000.

TYY

[Junkdrawer]

15. Combination of a Worst Case Scenario and several false alarms...

in the previous years.

But this "sweep it under the rug" shit may just be their Watergate - so confidant that they have complete press control that they hide damaging news when they should just lay their cards open and take it on the chin.

[merh]

18. Did he go on vacation?

I mean, he is a * so that wouldn't surprise me. But geezeeeee, would he do that with a hurricane out in the gulf?

[TeeYiYi]

20. Who knows . . .

. . . what goes through the minds of derelicts?! Vacation time does seem to be a Bush Family Value. I'm still stymied by that executive order. What was the purpose or intent behind that? Did he do it so that he could shirk blame when the inevitable finger pointing began? "Don't look at me, . . . I put Craig Fugate in charge of life saving evacuations. Now, . . . watch this golf swing!":silly:

TYY

[Eloriel]

30. THANK YOU, TeeYiYi

Excellent post. IMO Jebbie took this whole hurricane business entirely too nonchalantly. And now a lot more people than was necessary are dead because of it. ANOTHER Bush Family Value: who cares about dead people?

Some other links on the subject:

TRUTH about FLORIDA; HUNDREDS MISSING, JEB CHENEYED UP!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2221052
and esp. Post #71 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2221052#2223271

Something has gone terribly wrong in Florida....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=620221


FL Eyewitness Death Count Close To 400 Now
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2225582
FL Eyewitness Death Count Close To 400 Now
More from Michael Edward, Rumor Mill News Agents Forum, 8-17-4
http://www.rense.com/general56/eekk.htm

Nerves Fray in Florida as Grimy Reality Sinks In
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x756357

Reuters: Morgue in Punta Gorda Refusing to Give Out Number of Dead
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2223814#2223955

[watercolors]

32. Why has'nt anyone e-mailed these links to the news media

If it is true, I can't imagine these many deaths can be hidden, All tho we keep hearing there are some thirty parks to go thru, maybe it will be a larger count when they are unexpectly discovered. I hope it is not true!

[TeeYiYi]

49. Check this out Eloriel . . .

They KNEW Charley was going to touch down in Charlotte as far back as Wednesday the 11th. So the big plan was to hold a meeting on Thursday to think about maybe closing the schools and possibly get ready to 'hunker down'. What a diabolically genius plan. Obviously, if there had been any sort of suggestion to evacuate at this point, they wouldn't be calling a meeting on Thursday to think about deciding whether or not to possibly close the schools. Doesn't this sound familiar? Who could have predicted that Charley would make landfall in Charlotte County? _{(Who could have predicted that terrorists would use planes as missiles?)} Well who indeed! Apparantly somebody did. 'Somebody' predicted it on the 11th — so why were they evacuating Tampa? . . .

Charlotte County Braces For Charley
August 11, 2004
By Dan Bowens

Charlotte County Emergency Management and the Board of County Commissioners will meet Thursday morning to discuss Hurricane Charley. The meeting will focus on whether emergency managers feel it's necessary to close schools, government offices and if need be, evacuate portions of the population.

Early predictions are that Charley will make its landfall in Charlotte County and the surrounding Southwest Florida area at 1:30 Friday afternoon.

"People need to update their supplies," Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade' said. "They need to be ready to be hunkered down at the close of business on Thursday."

Here is a list of Important Emergency Phone Numbers:

Office of Emergency Management: 941-505-4620
Office Of Emergency Management (Englewood): 941-457-7987
The American Red Cross- 941-629-4345

Charlotte County Emergency Shelter-
(Punta Gorda)

Sallie Jones Elementary School, Punta Gorda Middle School, Charlotte High School, East Elementary
(Port Charlotte)

http://admin.winktv.com/public/x11016.xml


Here's the last press release from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office before the storm hit. Residents were advised to hide in the closet or bathroom and to remain inside. —

Charlotte County Emergency Management Information
August 13, 2004
By Dan Bowens

The Following is a press release issued by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and originates with Wayne Sallade of Emergency Management:

CHARLEY'S FORECAST TRACK NOW BRINGS IT ON SHORE IN MANATEE COUNTY, NEAR THE SARASOTA/BRADENTON LINE.

For Charlotte County, this means dangerously powerful winds of up to 115 mph in the Englewood/Cape Haze area. Residents in this area should expect the highest winds to hit as the storm reaches it nearest point of approach to Charlotte County around 3 o'clock this afternoon. Winds across the rest of Charlotte County will approach 85 mph as Charley heads for a Manatee County landfall.

Charley's track will bring it within 20 miles of the coast of Charlotte County, producing 115 mph winds and battering waves, sustained for periods of one hour or more.

Residents of Englewood and Cape Haze should plan to occupy an interior windowless room such as a bathroom or closet in an effort to protect themselves from any flying glass or projectiles.

Storm surge estimates now run as high as 10 to 12 feet above normal.

Residents are reminded that once the high winds and rain move out of the area, the storm surge will result in waters continuing to rise. Storm surge levels will not peak until several hours AFTER the worst weather has moved on, so residents should remain in their homes until a final all clear has been given.

Wayne P. Sallade', FPEM
Director Charlotte County Office of Emergency Management

http://admin.winktv.com/public/x11028.xml


For anyone who missed it, here are the evacuation orders for Florida as of Friday 13th (the day of the hurricane). Charlotte was still only voluntary.:

EVACUATIONS: Mandatory for visitors, nonresidents and mobile home residents in Monroe County (Florida Keys). Pinellas and Hillsborough counties have asked up to 680,000 Tampa Bay residents to evacuate from coastal or low-lying areas. Mandatory for tourists and residents of coastal areas of Lee, Sarasota, Hernando counties, Manatee, Pasco and Marco Island, Everglades City, and points in Naples in Collier County. Voluntary for people in Glades, Levy, Charlotte, DeSoto, Taylor, and other parts of Collier County that aren't mandatory.

http://cbs4.com/floridanews/FL--TropicalWeather-D-dn/resources_news_html
TYY

[TeeYiYi]

53. . . .

On Edit: I found this mandatory order for evacuation of RV parks and mobile homes in Charlotte from Thursday afternoon:

Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004 Time: 4:19:31 PM
Mandatory Evacuation of Barrier Islands
CHARLOTTE COUNTY SCHOOLS TO CLOSE FRIDAY. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF BARRIER ISLANDS, RV PARKS, AND MOBILE HOME COMMUNITIES IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY ORDERED AT 3 P.M. TODAY.

http://www.charlottecountyfl.com/Emergency/bulletins.asp

I still question the timing on the evacuations of Charlotte County. Assuming everyone got this evacuation notice at 3:00 on Thursday afternoon, that's still less than 24 hours notice. Why did they wait until the end of the day Thursday? Especially since 'someone' had predicted on Wednesday that Charlotte County would take a direct hit.

TYY

[yardwork]

16. Half the National Guard are in Iraq, another inconvenient fact

I've been worried about hurricane and fire season because so many of our first-responders and emergency personnel are in Iraq.

[Junkdrawer]

17. Only half? I would have guessed more. n/t

[daleo]

19. I think this is the key fact

If fatalities really are high, it won't look good that the National Guard are in Iraq. Thus, both Bushes have a motivation to downplay casualties. Just like in you-know-where.

[RivetJoint]

23. According to a Tampa newspaper, about 17 % of the Guard

is deployed outside of the state.

"The Florida National Guard has 8,000 personnel ready to provide emergency aid should the twin hurricanes barreling toward Florida's Gulf Coast cause significant damage.

``We have sufficient numbers of troops to be able to do the missions,'' Army Lt. Col. Ron Tittle said Thursday. ``We're prepared to support our local and state agencies.''

Overall, the Florida National Guard has 12,000 members - 10,000 in the Army Guard and 2,000 in the Air Guard.

Roughly 2,000 are deployed overseas or stationed outside Florida, said Tittle, a statewide spokeswoman, and another 2,000 are unavailable because of medical issues or other commitments."

[AP]

26. But but neighbors are supposed to help neighbors. It's not supposed to

be taxpayers fund governments to provide services in an organized, professional, competent manner.

That's not the spirit of Bush America.

[Junkdrawer]

27. Yeah. Your tax dollars are earmarked for Halliburton...

And the National Guard is for fighting Oil Wars.

What a country!

[AP]

29. Spirit of America: neighbors help neighbors. Taxpayers help Halliburton.

My country tis of thee. Sweet land of oligarchy.

[gratuitous]

7. The deceased will show up just in time to vote for W.

Then go back to the grave.

You know, I really, really wish we didn't have a regime in this country that makes me consider such ghoulish thoughts. But it seems every time I think the worst of George W. Bush and his corrupt cabal, they exceed even my lowest expectations.

[Junkdrawer]

21. OK: you're Jeb and the experts advise you evacuate a WIDE area...

but you remember the lumps officials took a year or two back with "excessive" evacuations. So you evacuate only the expected landfall.

Then the storm blows up from Cat 2 to Cat 4, and it hooks in. The experts were right and the bodies are everywhere. What do you do?

Now, you and your brother have amazing press control. Would you maybe be a little tempted to hold the numbers down until the story fades a bit from the headlines - at least until your brother's photo op.

[54anickel]

36. Excellent point! What did the experts say about this before in made

landfall anyway? Afraid I wasn't paying much attention.

[Junkdrawer]

45. The Weather Channel's hurricane expert (Dr. Steve Lyons)...

on Thursday night was emphasizing that when a hurricane hits the shore diagonally, the margin of error is great.

They had graphics and were trying to educate people about the geometry of the situation. They were advising everyone in the potential area to keep a close eye on this one.

[54anickel]

47. Thanks Junkdrawer. I had a bit of an argument with the S-I-L on this.

They just bought a place in Punta Gorda this spring and headed down there today to assess the damages. Told them not to go, won't get in, they have enough just caring for the folks that have found themselves homeless. Unfortunately, since the reports on TV don't seem THAT bad they went anyway. I doubt they'll get within 200 miles of their destination. But hey, don't listen to me. :shrug:

[wicket]

22. kick

:kick:

[THUNDER HANDS]

24. maybe they don't want

anyone getting the idea that these deaths could possibly have been prevented if the National Guard wasn't guarding the hurricanes in Iraq right now.

[Junkdrawer]

25. Think how different the coverage of DimSon's photo op would be...

if 300 deaths were splashed all over the headlines.

[screembloodymurder]

43. What's the motive?

There's no reason to hide these numbers. Contrary to Republican opinion, Bush does not control the weather.

[Joanne98]

44. The motive is that they were so worried about Tampa that they

didn't warn the people in the real path till it was to late. "Save the millionares and fuck everybody else". Hiding the bodies is just an added bonus. I can't believe they were that stupid but it looks like it's true. I can't believe how lucky we are. This is going to ruin both Bush brothers. There is a GOD...... :) :) :) :)

[Dem2theMax]

57. It doesn't seem so lucky when one of those people

who 'might' be dead could be my Aunt. I've been in touch with the Red Cross since Sunday night. No word yet on if she's alive, dead, injured, moved to another location, you name it. Meanwhile we sit here in Calif. hoping that somehow an 88 year old woman, who lives alone, has heart failure and has to have oxygen in order to survive, somehow DID survive. Yeah, we're lucky alright.

[The Stranger]

28. We can't obtain information regarding national disasters?

What was censorship and Orwellian secrecy has become massive outright and dangerous fraud.

[bobbieinok]

31. heard in 91 from believable people in the former East Germany...

it was against the law to ask for info about the environment and the health effects of pollution; people asking for info tended to end up in prison.

Against the law to ask for info?!?!?!?!!? how bizarre!! that was my thought then (1991).

And now.......we seem to be nearly at that point in the US.

[Eurobabe]

34. They'll report #s like Unemployment figures and

then revise upwards after November elections. How convenient!

[snooper2]

35. I have a friend who lives in Tampa....not good, not good at all

100's of body bags ordered..

Bodies floating in the water..

he said it was real bad, talked to him yesterday morning..

80' oak tree through both sides of his brothers house (they are okay)..

[Joanne98]

40. Damn snooper2

Call your friend back and tell him to get his butt out there and get some pictures. "Bodies floating in the water"? Do you know what this will do to Bush? Damn, it will RUIN him. I wish I knew someone in Florida. Any pictures like that would fetch thousands of dollars. geeeeezzzzzzzzzz

[yellowcanine]

37. How hard is it to open up the doors of the trucks and count the dead

bodies? I know they can't count (votes) in Florida, but this is ridiculous.

[Tight_rope]

50. Well maybe they will say that those dead people voted for Bush!

:shrug: I wouldn't put it past them.

[Joanne98]

38. thankyou junkdrawer

stay on this story. i heard a women from a hospital say on saturday that her facility had over 100 DOA's. They can't keep the bodies hid forever. bushco has screwed up royaly by lying about hurricane deaths. even though "lying about numbers" is something they do (and get away with ) everyday. Lying about THESE numbers was a huge mistake. get ready to pounch when the truth comes out. MEME: Republicans lie about numbers. This time the public will "get it' and they will be furious.

[tom_paine]

41. Since when is a few bodies a "mass casualty event"?

Of course, words mean the opposite of what they are in a Totalitarian Nation like Imperial Amerika.

[Francine Frensky]

42. Florida: too stupid to count ballots or bodies

New slogan for the state???

[seafan]

46. Jeb says "isolated cases of annoyance and inconvenience..."

...but his own Lieutenant Guv says heat fatalities are now occurring.


State and utility officials said more than 300,000 power customers remained without electricity Tuesday morning.

Assessing recovery efforts, Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday that "we've made really good progress." But he conceded the patience of some Floridians coping without roofs or electricity in 90-degree heat may be wearing thin.

"The great majority of people, I think, recognize that this is a work in progress, that there's improvements being made," Bush said. "There may be isolated cases of people that are annoyed by the inconvenience, and who can blame them."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/08/17/storms/



Right now, state officials say their main concern is hydration. "We continue to have reports of fatalities now attributed to heat, stroke, (from) people working in this 95 to 100 degree heat in the afternoon trying to clean things up working on homes, things of that nature." said Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=22953




Uh, Jeb, d'ya think you could show a little more connection with reality? Maybe this is all just a minor annoyance/inconvenience for you, is that it?

Fury doesn't describe it any more.


:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[54anickel]

48. Hurricane death toll in Florida rises to 19

Does that include the bodies in those trailers? :shrug:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/101498/1/.html

PUNTA GORDA, United States : The Hurricane Charley death toll rose to 19 and hundreds of thousands of people remained without power as the relief operation gathered pace.

One person died after being poisoned by carbon monoxide from a temporary generator and the second new death was on a traffic accident blamed on the hurricane's impact, said a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Four people died in Cuba before the hurricane moved on to devastate a large swathe of southwest Florida on Friday.

Emergency services are still digging through the thousands of homes wrecked in the storm but they say the death toll has not been as high as first feared.

[Tight_rope]

52. Down playing the dead because it's an election year!..Damn shame!

[tlcandie]

51. The sad fact is that MANY did NOT leave their homes.....

Add to that than MANY are elderly who do NOT cope well with extreme circumstances and you have explosive situations on your hands!! Add to that trailer homes or mobile homes and it's even more ominous!

We may not know the truth until after November 2nd knowing jebbie and his devious plans! :cry:

[antigone382]

54. kick

:kick:

[psychopomp]

55. kick

[kori]

56. I had a friend today make a good observation about this body count

Someone who posts here too by the way but evidently decided to be PC about it.

She figured the 19 reported were real Americans the rest were probably illegal immigrants, you know Cubans and Wet Backs so they really did not count. ( This is sarcasm, to the extreme, so please take it that way, and the terms quoted were only to express the feelings of those probably doing the reporting)

[Wilber_Stool]

59. And

what about the homeless? I'm sure no one will be concerned about them.

[Judi Lynn]

58. Kick!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[struggle4progress]

60. Experts fear Hurricane Charley aftermath may prove as dangerous as ...

... the storm itself
By Mike Schneider, Associated Press, 8/18/2004 13:43

<snip>
''We're seeing lacerations, injuries post-hurricane,'' said critical care nurse Karen Mulvaney. ''A lot of people are coming here now because people are now returning to their homes.''

In addition to injuries, residents are being sickened by eating spoiled food and contaminated water. They are skipping their prescription drugs and, with no air conditioning and with window screens blown away, exposing themselves to mosquitoes carrying diseases such as West Nile virus.
<snip>

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/231/nation/Experts_fear_Hurricane_Charley:.shtml