Article: Looking into the eye of the storm: the town of Port Charlotte, Fla., rallies around parks, and learns some tough lessons after Hurricane Charley strikes.

Picture this scenario: You live in Port Charlotte, Fla. Your home is adjacent to a saltwater canal that flows into Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Charley, a rapidly intensifying storm, is bearing down on you. Your house is seven feet above sea level, but the National Hurricane Center predicts a storm surge of 15-18 feet. What do you do?

I left. At 3:00 a.m. on Aug. 13, I grabbed my wife, pets and family photos, and made a beeline to West Palm Beach on the Atlantic Coast. Then, from the safety of a motel room, we watched the Category 4 hurricane take aim on Charlotte Harbor like an "eight ball heading into the corner pocket." It was a ...

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