Three dead as Charley slams into Florida coast

Hurricane Charley struck west-central Florida with a mix of wind and water, ravaging oceanfront homes and trailer parks, tearing apart small planes and inundating the coast before moving inland to assault Orlando and Daytona Beach.

The Category 4 storm was stronger than expected when the eye reached the mainland yesterday afternoon at Charlotte Harbour, pummelling the coast with winds reaching 145mph and a surge of sea water up to 15 feet.