The Deadliest U.S. Hurricanes

DEADLIEST U.S. Hurricanes Hurricanes kill an average of 17 people in the United States every year. 1) BUT SOME STORMS CLAIM MUCH HIGHER DEATH TOLLS THAN OTHERS. HURRICANE SEASON HURRICANE CATEGORIES Hurricane threats are rated HURRICANE SEASON VARIES. [2] on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale, which categorizes danger levels on a scale of 1 to 5. CATEGORY ATLANTIC Wind speeds between 74 and 95 miles per hour OCEAN PACIFIC OCEAN Wave surges between 4 and 5 feet May 15th is the official kickoff date for the eastern Pacific. It won't end until November 30th. August 15th marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane Little damage to buildings season. It lasts until around October 30th. Primarily damages unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees THE COAST ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE THAT Minor coastal flooding and pier damage SUFFERS. Hurricanes can stretch several hundred miles inland. CATEGORY WINDS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TOP 155 MPH. Wind speeds between 96 and 110 miles per hour Not to mention they can drop violent tornadoes and microbursts. Wave surges between 6 and FROM 197O TO 1999, tropical cyclone freshwater inland flooding resulted in more deaths than any other hazardous weather condition. 8 feet Little roofing, door, and window damage, but sizeable damage to shrubbery, trees, and mobile homes WORST U.S. HURRICANES Piers and small boats experience significant damage September 8th, 1900 [3] An unnamed CATEGORY 4 hurricane slammed into CATEGORY <3 Galveston, Texas, destroying every home. Wind speeds between 111 and Winds speeds topped out at 130 mph. An estimated 8,000 of the 20,000 130 miles per hour residents were killed. Wave surges between 9 and 12 feet St. Mary's Orphanage contained the bodies of 93 ORPHANS who did not escape. Small structures experience some structural damage, while mobile homes are completely destroyed THIS HURRICANE IS CONSIDERED THE DEADLIEST EVER TO HIT THE UNITED STATES. E September 6th to the 20th, 1928 [4] Small coastline structures are This tropical cyclone wailed against many islands south of Florida, 300 people were killed in Puerto Rico alone. completely destroyed and larger structures are damaged by flooding CATEGORY <4 Winds peaked at 150 mph when it made landfall between Jupiter and Boca Raton, Florida. Wind speeds between 131 and When it hit Lake Okeechobee, at least 155 miles per hour 1,836 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND 1,849 WERE INJURED. Wave surges between 13 A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE, THIS STORM WAS CONSIDERED and 18 feet THE SECOND MOST DEVASTATING IN HISTORY. Some complete roof destruction on small residences September 9th through the 16th, 1944 [6] Beach areas Also known as the Great Atlantic Hurricane, this Category 3 tropical cyclone stretched from North experience major erosion Carolina to New England. CATEGORY <5 The hurricane only had speeds of 81 mph with 99 mph gusts. Wind speeds in excess of 155 miles per hour Damages today would have totaled around Waves surges $1.4 BILLION. in excess of 18 feet Many residences and industrial buildings experience complete roof failure WHILE 344 PEOPLE WERE LOST AT SEA, ONLY 46 DIED ON THE MAINLAND. June 25th to the 28th, 1957 [4] Some complete ) building failures Hurricane Audrey swept through southwest Louisiana and Major damage caused by flooding on all lower floors of structures near the shoreline northern Texas, killing 390. Winds reached speeds of up to 140 to 150 mph. Typically accompanied A) by mass evacuations of coastal areas 263 BODIES were identified. AN ADDITIONAL 127 WERE NOT. PROPERTY DAMAGE FROM AUDREY WAS MISSING 192 PEOPLE were reported missing... AND NEVER ESTIMATED AT FOUND. AROUND $150 MILLION. August 17th-18th, 1969 [5] Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi Gulf Coast on the night of August 17th, 1969. Winds exceeded 210 miles per hour. 134 PEOPLE MANY MISSISSIPPIANS DOUBTED STORM'S POWER 8,931 WERE INJURED. WERE KILLED during the AND STAYED IN ITS PATH. storm. and some 5,662 HOMES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED 13,915 SUFFERED MAJOR LOSSES. August 22th to the 26th, 1992 [4] Hurricane Andrew roared through the Bahamas, eventually demolishing Miami, Florida. Wind speeds exceeded 142 mph with gusts peaking at 169 mph. $26.5 BILLJON 23 PEOPLE in damages were reported in the wake of Andrew. WERE KILLED in the U.S August 29th, 2005 [4] Resulting in an estimated $75 BILLION in damages, hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and areas of Mississippi and Alabama. The average wind speed was around 87 mph, though gusts reached up to 114 mph. It's estimated that 1,000 died in Louisiana and 200 in Mississippi. Aug. 27th to the 29th, 2011 [7] 2.3 MILLION IRENE IS ON RECORD AS THE PEOPLE were evacuated prior to landfall. SINGLE MOST DAMAGING CATEGORY 1 HURRICANE IN HISTORY. 41 PEOPLE PERISHED And Irene caused in the wake of $15 BILLION the storm. in property damage. October 29th - 81st, 2012 [8][9] HURRICANE SANDY WAS THE LARGEST ATLANTIC STORM NORTH OF NORTH CAROLINA IN U.S. HISTORY. AT LEAST 106 PEOPLE DIED 8.5 MILLION $20 BILLION PEOPLE in damage was in Sandy's path. lost power following the storm. done in New York alone. 28 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN DAVIS, West Virginia after the hurricane ran up against a nor'easter out of Canada. SOURCES [1]: http://www.gohsep.la.gov [2]: http://www.ready.gov/huricanes [3]: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1841442,00.html [4]: http://www.noaa.gov/ Itotalinjury [5]: http://www.harrison.lib.ms.us/library_services/camille.htm [6]: http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1940s/GreatAtlantic/ [7]: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/huricane-irene-2011-2012_n_1826060.html [8]: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/10/14-stunning-sandy-statistics-numbers/3746/ [9]: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/deadly-hurricane-sandy-takes-20b-toll-city-article-1.1195048