PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Many Tampa Bay area residents were glued to their TVs on August 13, 2004, watching as Hurricane Charley shifted to the east last minute. 

While much of Pinellas, Manatee, and Hillsborough counties were spared from what was expected to be a direct hit, areas of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte were destroyed.

Charley made landfall as a category 4 storm, with winds reaching 150 miles per hour. 

Max Doyle was with his family in downtown Punta Gorda at the time and didn't have the chance to evacuate.

“It was a mix of adrenaline and fascination," he said. "I don’t know if we had time to be scared.” 

One of the hardest hit places was Dean's South of the Border, a popular restaurant and hangout spot for locals. 

“We had put stuff up on tables and put up sandbags, because all we were supposed to get is water," said restaurant manager Susan Polimeni. 

Instead, Dean's was destroyed in the storm.

Polimeni and her coworkers returned to find the roof of the building blown out and parts of the walls fallen in. The team rushed to get the restaurant's kitchen back in working order so they could help feed their families and first responders.

The restaurant later reopened permanently in a new location.  

“It was very emotional. Between your house, and you’re worried about your friends, just the place that you love and you work, and all the people you know from there has collapsed around you," she said. 

Across the street from Dean's now sits a large empty field. It used to hold a Publix and numerous stores before the building was destroyed. 

“An unbelievable amount of people came here just to work, from everywhere! All over the country," said Linda Ciaccio, a longtime resident. 

Charley was the first of four major hurricanes to hit Florida in 2004. In all, FEMA estimates $45 billion in damages.