CHIP LITHERLAND PHOTOGRAPHY

editorial essay: path of destruction

Steve Moore hoists sheets of plywood over a window at the Classic Car Museum in Sarasota, Florida, as Hurricane Charley approaches the west coast of the state. Florida was hit with four major hurricanes in less than two months, leaving the state with billions of dollars of damage and many lives lost.
  
Cheryl Leifert watches as Nathan Dooley heads into the heavy surf as outer bands of Hurricane Frances come ashore at Siesta Public Beach in Sarasota, Florida.
   
Amish friends Daniel Miller, left to right, Mary Hart, Sarah Overholt, and Caryn Swartzentruber run down Lido Beach as Hurricane Frances made landfall in Sarasota, Florida.
     
  
Sandy Agabedis reacts upon seeing her flower shop business destroyed minutes after Hurricane Charley ripped through downtown Punta Gorda, Florida.
  
Roger Picard with Tampa Fire and Rescue climbs through debris of an automotive shopping looking for injured after Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda, Florida.
   
Pastor Ron Guzman lifts a toppled lectern amid the ruins of the Peace River Church of Christ after Hurricane Charley hit Punta Gorda, Florida.
     
  
President George W. Bush flies over Charlotte County, Florida, in Marine One during a quick visit to survey the billions of dollars of damage left behind by Hurricane Charley.
  
  
A gas station sign rests damaged in Punta Gorda, Florida, after Hurricane Charley tore through the town.
     
  
Mike Haecker and his wife, Patti, share a goodbye kiss after Hurricane Charley destroyed the trailer he was staying in during their recent seperation.
  
Manatee County high school students hang out on a picnic table in the flood waters of the Upper Manatee River in Bradenton, Florida, after Hurricane Frances.
  
Vicki Stiles smokes a cigarette while sifting through debris at her home after Hurricane Charley ripped through the neighborhood in Port Charlotte, Florida.