Hurricane Charley cut through central Florida's citrus belt in mid-August 2004, damaging groves in three of the state's top orange-growing counties and pushing orange juice prices higher.
The storm crossed DeSoto, Hardee and Polk counties, which together hold about 35 percent of Florida's groves, according to Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest growers' group. A spokeswoman, Tamara Cooper, called the damage "pretty significant" and said a dollar figure was not yet available while inspectors surveyed the fields.
Traders reacted fast. On the New York market, orange juice for September delivery climbed 7.25 cents, or 11.6 percent, to 69.50 cents a pound. Growers reported that trees had been uprooted and that immature, golf-ball-sized fruit had been stripped from branches before it could ripen for the next crop.
The blow landed on an industry already coping with weak fruit prices. Florida citrus employed about 90,000 people, and the crop carried an on-tree value near 816 million dollars in the 2002-03 season.
Where it stands now. Charley was the first of several hurricanes to strike Florida in 2004. Frances and Jeanne followed over the next six weeks, and the combined storm damage pushed the state's 2004-05 orange harvest well below normal.
TurkishPress summary of a August 2004 wire report.