Thank you, StormHound. I never thought I would say that I'm glad we faced Charley, but now that I've seen Ivan's destruction, I am so thankful to be here in Punta Gorda. We are still facing huge piles of debris, which is depressing. There aren't many signs of rebuilding yet. But it will happen.

Our Emergency Director here, Wayne Sallade, always preaches storm surge, along with keeping the wind out of your home. Most of Punta Gorda is at 12 feet elevation or less, I believe. Being at the top of Charlotte Harbor, I don't think we'd have the waves to deal with. But surge alone would be enough.