As the devastation of Hurricane Charley disappears from the headlines of mainstream media, Southwest Florida is left to cope with the aftermath.

We were lucky – in our neighborhood the most severe damage were broken limbs and a uprooted trees. To the north of us, the damage is far more severe. The majority of destruction to traditional home structures appears to be in the roof, where many are missing shingles and large panels and a few of the most severely damaged are missing roofs altogether.

The real heartache comes after the hurricane has moved far away, and your living room is doused in a torrent of rain because there is nothing you can find to cover it.

I hope the popular press remembers to take a second look at our area when we have managed to rebuild. Our lessons learned would be well heeded by others in hurricane alley, especially those in our geographic vicinity who skirted this storm and still feel they don’t have to worry about this kind of thing happening to them.

Categories: Technology