As much as I feel sorry for the folks of Punta Gorda, in many ways I don't. That hurricane was "supposed" to hit Tampa-Clearwater, which according to yahoo maps is only an 80 mile drive away (70 mile approx straight-line). If I live 70 miles away from a hurricane that is 100 miles wide, I would plan on getting hit. I realize the destruction is horrible, but all I have seen on the news are people of Punta Gorda running around saying "we weren't prepared, they said it wasn't going to hit us".