SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS

PUNTA GORDA -- Some folks listened with hands over their hearts as Port Charlotte High School's marching band played the national anthem.

Some had their futures told by a tarot card reader.

And still others jostled through the crowd to rub shoulders with prominent politicians, which included former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Those were some of the ways the hundreds of people who came to Laishley Park for Punta Gorda's "Xtreme Makeover" event celebrated the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Charley Saturday.

The event gave Kent and Donna Hale of Port Charlotte a chance to reflect on what the hurricane meant to them.

The Hales, who own a Charlotte Harbor sign-making business, had just moved to the area from San Diego a few months before the hurricane, so they were not prepared, Donna said.

She said she went outside their house to inspect damage as the eye passed, until a friend yanked her back inside.

Kent described the aftermath as "chaos, a war zone."

However, the couple said Charley inextricably bound them to their new community.

"Everybody pulled together to help and, to me, that's what life's about," Kent said.

"We are so proud that we're here to experience the whole five years," Donna added. "It made us appreciate the recovery more, and appreciate life more."

Bill Allen went to the park with his wife, Phyllis, and grandson Connor to celebrate "because we lived through it," he said.

"The way the area has recovered is phenomenal, not just in Punta Gorda, but the entire area," Bill added. "I think the city has done a fabulous job, and we're coming along, too (in Port Charlotte). It's a role model for the U.S."

"It shows how unified the community was from day one," said Dick Loftus, a Charlotte County commissioner. "It's awesome to see (downtown redevelopment)."

Punta Gorda resident Diane D'Andrea pointed out that, at the time, Hurricane Charley was the first major hurricane strike in South Florida since Andrew hit Miami and Homestead in 1992.

The lack of recent hurricane experience allowed citizens and government officials to improvise, she said.

"We didn't expect anything; we didn't wait for FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency)," she said.

She recalled how former Gov. Bush had arrived in Punta Gorda the day after the hurricane. He also returned several times to rally local citizens and target state resources.

"There was machinery in place and it worked," said Lindsay Harrington, a former state representative from Punta Gorda.

Bush spent more time at the event visiting with local residents and politicians than he did speaking from the stage. In fact, he cut his speech short out of deference to a looming storm cloud.

"Whenever the wind gets over 20 miles per hour, I start twitching," he told the audience.

During a brief interview, Bush was asked what he's been doing since he left office in 2006.

"On the political side," he said he's been working to foster educational reform through a nonprofit foundation he established.

He said he's also doing a lot of traveling, running a strategic consulting business with his youngest son.

"Life is good," he said. "I miss being governor, though."

E-mail: gmartin@sun-herald.com

By GREG MARTIN

Staff Writer