My Mother and Step-Father live in Cape Coral, which is due-West of Fort Myers. I was watching Charley at work on the National Weather Service radar loop. My heart sank when I saw it start traveling west towards that area. That feeling turned to terror when it went essentially from category 2 to category 4 in no time at all. I had a category 4 (Andrew-like) hurricane heading directly towards the Southern part of Cape Coral, where my Mom lives. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was on the phone with her when she found out about the track and speed shift. You could tell she was terrified. Then, less than an hour later, Charley took that sudden unbelievable detour...maybe 10 miles...North towards Punta Gorda. For those that don't know the area, Port Charlotte is maybe 10 or 15 miles north of Cape Coral. They had literally dodged a bullet. The damage to their neighborhood was substantial, but it was nothing compared to the devastation that missed them by such an extremely small distance.
It's times like that where you are humbled and awed by natures fury.
