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Charley hurls roof tiles straight through walls

Tile roofs, so common in Florida, become something quite brutal when ripped up and fired by 100 mph winds.

Concrete roof tiles, a familiar feature on Florida homes for decades, became known by other names during Hurricane Charley:

Projectiles. Artillery. Missiles.

Charley's 100 mph-plus winds peeled the tiles off many roofs in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda and sent them sailing at, and sometimes through, other homes.

"They were flying every which way," said Punta Gorda City Manager Willard R. Beck. "Those flying missiles are deadly."

The site of so many missing concrete tiles along streets and sidewalks and inside homes prompted Beck to suspend enforcement of tile-roof requirements in deed-restricted communities.

The tiles generally weigh about seven pounds and come in a variety of shapes and colors. They carry aesthetic cachet and a reputation for lasting years longer than other shingles.

But they left some ugly marks after Charley.

At Anthony Fanelli's home in Port Charlotte, tiles flew through kitchen windows, denting the wall and a new stainless steel refrigerator. They also came through walls in the garage and the outside of the house, breaking through wire mesh.

Now, whenever it rains, the insulation gets soaked, causing leaks in the house.

"That projectile would go right through a human," Fanelli said as he and his wife, Marie, 70, showed pictures of tile that wound up in the living room and kitchen.

"It could very easily cut a person's head off with no problem," Fanelli, a 71-year-old retired scientist who was on an Alaskan fishing trip when the storm hit.

The rules on securing concrete roof tiles depend on the steepness of the roof and whether a house is in a wind zone, said Robert Nagin, director of the Pinellas County Building Department.

Tiles on homes that are inland and not in high-wind zones can be secured with cement mortar or insulating foam.

Homes built in wind zones - largely coastal areas - and homes with steep roof lines must meet a stricter set of rules specified in the Florida Building Code. Tiles on those homes must be secured with nails, screws, clips or other fasteners recommended by the tile manufacturer.

Each county can impose requirements more stringent than the Florida Building Code, Nagin said.

But stringent building codes are not always enough with a storm like Charley.

"We have never seen winds like this before," said J.R. Dulaney of Ryan Construction in Naples, who was in Port Charlotte on Tuesday surveying storm damage.

Dulaney said tiles that flew off roofs likely are older tiles installed before the state's new codes took effect in 2003, requiring screws rather than glue or nails in high-wind zones.

"Those winds got underneath and uplifted them and created flying projectiles," he said. "You can see the damage."

Dulaney will be doing repairs to a home owned by Herbert and Jean Heim. Houses on either side of the Heims' house, as well as the two directly across the street, have missing concrete tiles that can be found inside and outside of the Heims' house.

In fact, part of a tile is lodged in the 5/8-inch-thick chipboard covering a rectangular bedroom window. Flying tile also broke windows in the living room, even though they were covered by half-inch thick plywood.

"We were the target, getting it every which way," Jean Heim said. "It felt like somebody wanted to get into the house and it sounded like a war. The noise was terrifying.

"We didn't know if they were going to come through," he said. "We didn't know if we were going to be alive or dead. Those tiles are a menace."

WEIGHT: about 7 pounds

LENGTH: 151/4 inches

WIDTH: 10 inches