Author Description

Florida Citrus 2004/05 Hurricanes is Dr. John Attaway s third book in a series on environmental issues facing Florida agriculture, and is the second book devoted to the impacts of hurricanes. It is a continuation of his Hurricanes and Florida Agriculture. The hurricanes occurring in the first part of the 21st century have resulted in major economic damage to Florida s citrus industry. The author s efforts at documenting this damage after the 2004 hurricanes paint a stark picture of the potential havoc that can occur as a result of Mother Nature s wrath and their impacts on the citrus industry. This book chronicles the detailed account of the ensuing hurricanes attacking Florida in 2004, namely Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne and Wilma in 2005. Observations are presented on the meteorology, citrus production, marketing and aftermath of these devastating storms. Minute-by-minute accounts describe experiences of citrus growers who fought and lived through the ravages of hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne and Wilma. Pete Spyke, owner of Arapaho Citrus Management, vividly tells us how he, his family and employees survived the hurricanes and of the resourcefulness they exhibited before, during and after the hurricanes. Chet Townsend, owner of UltimateCitrus.com Citrus News, describes his impressions and assessments of the storms effects on citrus groves throughout much of the citrus growing area of the state. Their personal accounts and those of many others make for factual and interesting reading.