TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – On the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Charley, 8 On Your Side is remembering the powerful storm that blew through southwest Florida.
The Category 4 hurricane caused 33 total fatalities in Florida. The storm also made history, as it was dubbed it the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the strongest hurricane to hit southwest Florida since Hurricane Donna in 1960.
Charley was named the second-costliest hurricane in United States history at the time, with $15.1 billion in damage to residential property.
Approximately, 2.7 million people were evacuated out of the projected path.
Citrus crops alone suffered more than $200 million damage in crops and two million households lost power due to the storm.
In 2005, the World Meteorological Organization removed the name from the rotating list of names used for Atlantic storms because of the devastation caused by the storm.
