Abstract
A major 2004 hurricane season left much of Florida damaged, not only structurally, but also with devastated landscapes. One particularly violent hurricane, Hurricane Charley, slammed into Southwest Florida on August 13, 2004 with a direct hit on Charlotte County. The 145 miles per hour winds tested trees, shrubs and all other plants with an irresistible force that left the landscape literally destroyed. Accordingly, beyond the obvious initial destruction, remaining landscape subject "survivors" have shown storm-related affects that have taken months to be revealed. Observations across the Charlotte County landscape continue to portray latent decline, long term environmental changes and recovery in 2005.
