On August 9th, 2004 Hurricane Charley struck Charlotte harbor in an almost direct hit.
Not expecting this storm to have a major impact on Charlotte County, the Stelmaszek family, like much of the Charlotte County's population, remained in their home. The storm was supposed to hit the Tampa Bay area.
At the last minute the storm took a sharp turn and the eyewall made it's way up Charlotte Harbor. The Stelmaszek family home at 4081 Gardner Drive was two blocks from the harbor.
Below you can see some pictures of the damage. But these pictures require somewhat of an explanation.
It was never determined where the building came from. But apparently a tornado from the storm hit a commercial building that had steel girders and with a steel shell. This building went airborne and landed on the Stelmaszek residence. It is an almost unbelievable story, fortunately it is said that a 'picture says a thousand words'.
In the two pictures just above, we can see where the I-beam of the commerical building, from an unknown location, broke through the window in the Stelmaszek living room. Alfred Stelmaszek was sitting in the chair seen above, and was luckily unharmed.
Below we see a picture that shows David Stelmaszek, always the carpenter, tacking plastic on the roof. The house was a total wreck, but it was hoped to save the interior contents.
Return to Stelmaszek Family Page.