The images were taken on a brief visit to Punta Gorda, FL on October 5, 2004, eight weeks after Hurricane Charley blew through with 140 mph winds and destroyed much of the area. The downtown area is still virtually closed with maybe 25% of the businesses open. All the traffic lights have been replaced. The hotels you see are roofless.
Sandy met me at the Celtic Ray, which never closed. It's one of the few places in town still open!
I then went by Sandy's Raw Bar and Kathleen's Maple Leaf C.C.
The whole area was hit hard, but lots of work is going on and they'll recover. Lots of blue tarp everywhere.
At Maple Leaf C.C. the landscaping looked ok for the most part. I wasn't able to find a garden for Kathleen, but it was getting dark everything was closed and I wasn't sure where to look.