I am going to appologize in advance here, these images may be disturbing to some people. I did a shoot today of some of the storm damage that Charley left in his wake. Keep in mind that this city (Kissimmee) was not prepared for this storm, as it was not slated to go near there. These images were taken less then 50 miles from my home, which shows how close we really came to devastation. I became very emotional when we encountered semi trailers handing out bags of ice to the hundreds of people who were waiting in line. I also noticed that any gas stations that were operational had a major wait. Most stations had on the average of 50 people waiting in line for gas. As I was shooting these images I kept thinking to myself how much worse off Sanibel/Ft Myres/Port Charlotte must be, and how lucky we really were not even 50 miles away. This shoot brought back painful memories of what happened in Miami in 1992 when Charley's cousin Andrew came to visit there. A very humbling experience this shoot was. Brenda

Sitting on the corner of a busy intersection in the heart of Kissimmee.

One of the hangers at The Jet Center...

Small planes tossed around like toys...

A lot of huge oak trees were lost in this storm.

Downtown Kissimmee

Sorry for the reflection present in this image. A very common scene today.

When these roots come out of the ground, it doesnt matter how much whatever is on top of weighed...

Roots under a sidewalk, or used to be under it anyway...

A live oak split between two houses, with an ominous sky behind them.

Saw a lot of these on the ground (street light) And most of the stop lights were either not operational or on the ground, which made driving through the city difficult.

This roof looks as if someone used a can opener on it.

An RV park that is condemmed, all trailers in this park were marked with orange spray paint and the word DEMO across the front of each one.

OK now this last image should make people think... If you live in FLorida in a manufactured home and there is a tornado or hurricane warning in effect, get out! This mobile home looks as if it was tossed around like a toy. When the Authorities come to tell you to evacuate, please don't question them, just get out. Keep in mind once again that this city was a few hundred miles inland of where Charley made landfall. Never once in a million years did any of us believe that there would be this much devastation this far inland. BTW, Chelle? The storm roared through Lake Wales before it ever got to Kissimmee. I can only hope that my favorite sanctuary and singing tower is still standing. All have a great night and stay safe. Keep the residents of these devastated areas in your thoughts and prayers, and if there is anyway you can help them, they need all of the manpower they can get. Thanks for viewing. Brenda

Wow! Kissimmee is far inland! Hope Mickey and Donald are OK! Glad you are safe.

I'm glad to hear you are safe and sound, Brenda, but terribly saddened at all the devestation and losses. so, so sad. My parents have heard from all of our friends so far, and thank goodness everyone is okay. Some of our friends evacuated to Coco Beach. Yeah, it's unbelieveable that so much damage was done that far inland. Prayers going to so many....{{{hugs}}}sheila

WoW these are some disturbing images of what a hurricane can do.... Especially that last one !!! You did a very good job on them Bren !! Just hope there werent too many casualties :o( But its a good thing you came out of it ok :o) Jeroen

just imaging you driving around taking these pics... whew! no way would i want to live in a trailer either, especially around tornado alley o.O!

The Power of Nature...repeated over and over....all one can do is prepare....great Reportage Shots :]

Wow.... these are terribly sad images...! My in-laws all live on the outskirts of the Tampa Bay area, so I was worried about them.... they were so lucky to have missed it! I saw them mention Lake Wales on the Weather Channel and immediately thought of Bok Sanctuary, hope the tower held up, I know it's under restoration at the moment... Powerful images Nilla..... thoughts and prayers with everyone.....

Thank you so much for posting these, Bren. I was so worried about you, but glad to hear you escaped the wrath of Charley. The stories on the news are heartbreaking. You know you were living on the edge taking all these pictures. All those downed powerlines and such are dangerous!!!! Let's hope that's the last of the storms for a long LONG time!!!!!!

sigh Looks so much like the destruction left here after Andrew.. :(

Terrible. I'm glad yor OK, your shots are amazing, it must be terrifying.

I am also glad you are OK. prayers go out to those people that are still missing. This brings back painful memories of Hugo and the devastation he produced.

What a devastation! sigh I'm glad you're OK. But what a mess! Planes thrown away as toys - it's really not safe out there when Charley's there. Is your house undamaged? Jan-Carel