2004 to 2024: Destructive Deja vu

 

Nessa Brown



2004 to 2024: Destructive Deja Vu


Hurricanes Helene and Milton absolutely assaulted Floridians. These two strong hurricanes


washed over Florida a mere 13 days apart. People were trying to recover from the first


hurricane when another came shortly after. But this is not the first time that two hurricanes


have attacked Florida one after another. In 2004, from August to September, Florida


experienced four major hurricanes. Their names were Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne.



Hurricane Charley


Hurricane Charley, after abruptly changing direction, arrived in Port Charlotte, Florida, on


August 12, 2004. This was the first of a chain of four major hurricanes to hit Florida during


the 2004 hurricane season. Charley was a category 4 hurricane with 140 mi/hr winds


(“Charley” weather.gov) Hurricane Charley was considered a smaller storm but was still very


powerful. Over all, Charley cost Florida about $14.6 billion in damages. (“2004-- Hurricane


Charley” hurricanesciene.org) This hurricane was only the beginning for Floridians. 



Hurricane Frances

The next hurricane to follow after Charley was Hurricane Frances. On September 5, 2004,


Hurricane Frances went over Florida and went from a category 4 to a category 2 hurricane. 


Only 2 weeks after Charley tore through Florida. This hurricane caused most of it’s damage


in Central Florida and cost over $9 billion in damages. (“10th Anniversary of Hurricane


Frances” aoml.noaa.gov) Frances also had winds of 105 mi/hr. 


Hurricane Ivan

11 days after Frances, Floridians were greeted by Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004.


Ivan was a Category 5 hurricane. It also traveled, and existed, through the gulf into Floida for


a record of 22 days straight. Ivan was also classified as a major hurricane for 10 out of those


22 days. (“2004– Hurricane Ivan” hurricanescienece.org) In total, Hurricane Ivan caused $14


billion worth of damage. 


Hurricane Jeanne

The final hurricane in the chain of 2004 hurricanes that wrecked Florida was Hurricane


Jeanne. September 25, 2004, brought Hurricane Jeanne over Florida, almost two weeks after


Frances. The hurricane landed in Sewall’s Point, Florida. The storm was a category 3


hurricane and upheld 120 mi/hr winds. (“10th Anniversary of Hurricane Jeanne”


aoml.noaa.gov) Once again, the hurricane caused over $7 billion in catastrophic damage.



The reason why I wanted to write a blog about these four hurricanes in particular is because


their circumstances are extremely similar to those of 2024 hurricanes. All four of these tragic


hurricanes happened within two months and very close in days, similar to how Helene and


Milton were back to back. The fatal circumstances were in 2024 extremely similar to 2004.




resources for those affected by the hurricanes


For Those seeking assistance, here are some organizations proving relief and support


● The Mustard of Tampa Bay

● Florida Disaster Fund

● Feeding Tampa Bay


Sources

  • NOAA’s National Weather Service. Charley. www.weather.gov/mfl/charley.

  • Schmidt, Amanda. “Looking Back at Hurricane Charley, the First in a 'Nightmare' Hurricane Season for Florida.” AccuWeather, 13 Aug. 2024, www.accuweather.com 

  • Null. Hurricanes: Science and Society: 2004- Hurricane Charley. www.hurricanescience.org 

  •  Hurricanes: Science and Society: 2004- Hurricane Frances. www.hurricanescience.org

  • Griffin-Elliott, Thia. “10th Anniversary of Hurricane Frances—NOAA'S Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.” NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, 7 June 2024, 

  • Hurricane Ivan - September 16, 2004. www.weather.gov/mob/ivan.

  •  Hurricanes: Science and Society: 2004- Hurricane Ivan. www.hurricanescience.org

  • “10th Anniversary of Hurricane Jeanne - NOAA'S Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.” NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, 7 June 2024, www.aoml.noaa.gov

  • Writer, Phil Attinger Staff. “Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne: Best of Storms, Worst of Storms.” Mid Florida Newspapers, 14 Sept. 2024, www.midfloridanewspapers.com

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