Law enforcement officials confirmed 13 dead statewide late Saturday, with search and rescue operations ongoing, Matt Mitchell of the state emergency operations center told AFP.

Four of the confirmed dead were in Charlotte County, which includes this blue collar and retirement town, where ubiquitous mobile home parks were flattened to grotesque pastel carpets of twisted aluminum.

Streets and highways were littered with the wreckage of vehicles sent tumbling like toys by the wind that raked across the state late Friday.

Rescue workers said the death toll was sure to rise as they worked their way through debris in search of survivors and bodies.

They said they had ordered 60 body bags for one trailer court alone in Punta Gorda, a sleepy community nestled on Charlotte Harbor off the Gulf of Mexico that took the brunt of the storm's vicious force.

"Punta Gorda appears to be ground zero," said Craig Fugate, Florida Director of Emergency Management.

A hospital here recorded a wind gust of 173 miles (276 kilometers) an hour before its wind meter was torn down.

The hurricane -- worst to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew killed 40 in 1992 -- destroyed thousands of homes, leaving more than a million people without power and hundreds of thousands without water. It blocked roads and tore through airports, flipping over small planes.

Thousands of National Guard, military and police were brought in from outside the state to help the rescue operation.

President George W. Bush was to inspect the stricken zone on Sunday.

Inhabitants of Punta Gorda were taken by surprise when the storm veered farther south than expected. Despite evacuation orders, many chose to stay in their flimsy wooden and mobile homes, which proved defenseless against the 145 mph (233 kmh) winds.

"Our worst fears have come true," Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the president's brother, said after touring Punta Gorda and flying over the area by helicopter.

"Clearly, there was major devastation," he said.

"This was a beautiful, artsy village, and it's never going to be the same," said Mike Haecker, 55, surveying the tattered remains of the trailer home he and his wife evacuated before the hurricane hit.

"When we drove back in here, my wife said, 'Which one is our trailer?' I told her, 'It's that pile of junk right there."

"I'm in shock," said Ann Collett, 60, clutching salvaged photos of her grandchildren.

"We've never had a storm like this," said Paul Lynch. "Never, ever."

Charley cut across the Florida peninsula from west to east, from Punta Gorda through Orlando and then Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast.

From there it veered northward, up the coast to South and North Carolina and Virginia, dropping in intensity at it went.

Tens of thousands had been evacuated along its forecast path.

Before hitting Florida, the hurricane battered Cuba, killing four.

The Florida Power and Light electric company said 1.3 million people were without power and the number was expected to rise as people return to their homes.

Roads were blocked with palm trees, power and telephone poles and vehicles, including heavy trucks, sent cascading by the fierce winds.

"Right now, it's mass damage," said Kimberly Casale, a city administrator in Arcadia, just inland from Punta Gorda.

Heather Stone in nearby Cape Coral said she and her family had hidden under a mattress in a bathroom for several hours. "There's a hospital about 100 yards from our house, and in the maternity ward the roof blew off while a woman was in labour."

At Charlotte County airport, about 25 small planes were blown over. An airport in Lake Wales near Tampa, farther up the coast, suffered similar damage. Small planes parked at Orlando International Airport were also flipped over like toys.

Officials urged about 1.4 million people to flee ahead of the storm, but the warning was widely ignored.

Ed Rappaport at the National Hurricane Center in Florida told CNN, "Warnings were given about 41 hours in advance, and that is what we aim for. Having a major hurricane is a rare event and people are not ready for this."

Connie Larsson, whose mobile home in Punta Gorda was wrecked, said: "I had planned to stay here, but the manager of the park said it was not a good idea. I stayed with friends from church, but they have taken a lot of damage."

TERRA.WIRE