Since decades, hurricanes have proved to be fatal for mankind. Read on the know the most destructive and famous of the lot.
A storm with a low-pressure center, engulfed by thunderstorms is termed as a tropical cyclone. Depending on where this cyclone is formed, it is named as a hurricane – when formed in the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific; typhoon – Northwest Pacific; cyclonic storm – northern part of Indian Ocean;cyclone (tropical) – Southwest Indian Ocean.
Note: The following article is a compilation of the famous hurricanes, and not tropical cyclones in general. The red line denotes the path of the hurricane.
The Galveston Texas Hurricane
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – August 27, 1900 – September 15, 1900
Casualties – 8,000
Damage – 22 million (2005 USD)
Affected Regions
- The city of Galveston, Texas, USA; Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and Eastern Canada.
The Great Galveston Texas hurricane is regarded as the deadliest and second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States. It is also one of the most destructive natural disasters faced by US till date.
The Great Miami Hurricane
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – September 11, 1926 – September 22, 1926
Casualties – 373 deaths and 6,381 injuries
Damage – 100 million (1926 USD)
Affected Regions
- Miami; Bahamas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
The storm wiped out almost entire Miami and around 50,000 people were left homeless. If the same intensity storm was to hit today, the city would have incurred an estimated 150 billion USD of losses.
San Felipe-Okeechobee Hurricane
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – September 6, 1928 – September 20, 1928
Casualties – More than 2500
Damage – approx 100 million (1928 USD)
Affected Regions
- Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida.
During the time (days) when the hurricane was active, Puerto Rico recorded the highest amount of rainfall as a result of a hurricane. This hurricane is also called San Felipe II Hurricane in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane San Felipe which struck the island on the same day in the year 1876.
Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – August 29, 1935 – September 10, 1935
Casualties – 400 – 500
Damage – 6 million (1935 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas, Florida Keys, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Labor Day hurricane was the first hurricane in US history to reach the category 5 at landfall. It killed almost the entire population of Florida Keys.
Hurricane Audrey
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – June 25, 1957 – June 29, 1957
Casualties – More than 400
Damage – 150 million (1957 USD)
Affected Regions
- Southwest Louisiana, parts of the South Central United States
According to the preserved records, during a single Atlantic Hurricane Season, Audrey is the only hurricane to reach category 4 the earliest.
Hurricane Donna
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – August 29, 1960 – September 14, 1960
Casualties – approx 300
Affected Regions
- Puerto Rico, Cuba, The Bahamas, Florida, and Eastern Coast of US.
The hurricane affected the marine biome of Florida Bay to a large extent, damaging coral reefs and resulting in a sharp decline in the marine oxygen levels.
Hurricane Camille
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – August 14, 1969 – August 22, 1969
Casualties – 256
Damage – 1.42 billion (1969 USD)
Affected Regions
- Cuba, Mississippi, Southeast Louisiana to Virginia.
Hurricane Camille was the first hurricane in modern world to bear a person’s name. With wind speeds up to 190mph, it is one of the strongest hurricanes upon reaching landfall.
Hurricane Hugo
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – September 10, 1989 – September 25, 1989
Casualties – approx 100
Damage – 8 – 10 billion (1989 USD)
Affected Regions
- Puerto Rico, Bahamas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, northeastern parts of the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and East Canada.
Towns of South Carolina experienced one of the worst storm surges reaching up to 6.1 m. The wind speeds recorded of this Cape Verde-type hurricane (hurricane forming near Cape Verde islands) were 160mph.
Hurricane Andrew
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – August 16, 1992 – August 28, 1992
Casualties – 26
Damage – 26.5 billion (1992 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas; Southeast Florida, Louisiana.
Owing to the intensity of the hurricane and the damage done, almost 180,000 people were left homeless. In areas of Florida, the tides reached a height of almost 17 feet (5.2m), way above the normal level.
Hurricane Charley
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – August 9, 2004 – August 15, 2004
Casualties – 24
Damage – 16.3 billion (2004 USD)
Affected Regions
- Jamaica, Cuba, West Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Charley destroyed agricultural produce to a large extent. Havana experienced a damage of more than 15,000 metric tons of grapefruit. It was also responsible for almost entire destruction of crops such as sugarcane, in Cuba.
Hurricane Katrina
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – August 23, 2005 – August 30, 2005
Casualties – more than 1500
Damage – more than 100 billion (2005 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas, South Florida, Cuba, Louisiana , Mississippi, Alabama, Eastern North America.
Hurricane Katrina is the costliest hurricane in history of US, flooding and damaging the property of almost all the cities situated near the coast. It also resulted in leakage of over 7 million U.S. Gallons of oil near Southeast Louisiana.
Hurricane Rita
Category at peak intensity – 5
Days Active – September 18, 2005 – September 26, 2005
Casualties – 7 (NOAA)
Damage – 12 billion (2005 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
The onset of Rita induced one of the largest evacuation drills in US with almost 3.5 million people marooned the coastal area of Texas before Rita made its landfall.
Hurricane Ike
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – September 1, 2008 – September 14, 2008
Casualties – more than 100
Damage – 37.5 billion (2008 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and Eastern Canada.
Hurricane Ike was the costliest hurricane ever to hit Cuba, destroying agricultural produce of over 3,400 square kilometers (1,300 sq mi).
Hurricane Igor
Category at peak intensity – 4
Days Active – September 8, 2010 – September 23, 2010
Casualties – 4
Damage – 200 million (2010 USD)
Affected Regions
- Eastern coast of United States, Bermuda, and Newfoundland.
Igor was the worst ever hurricane experienced by Newfoundland (Canada), even destructing a part of Trans-Canada Highway.
Hurricane Irene
Category at peak intensity – 3
Days Active – August 21, 2011 – August 30, 2011
Casualties – 50
Damage – around 16 billion (2011 USD)
Affected Regions
- Bahamas, eastern parts of United States, and East Canada.
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont were the most affected areas of United States. Irene caused severe flooding in New Jersey with storm surges going up to 5 feet.
Hurricane Sandy
Category at peak intensity – 3
Days Active – October 22, 2012 – October 31, 2012
Casualties – 147 directly (NOAA)
Damage – approx 75 billion (2012 USD)
Affected Regions
- Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Bahamas, East USA, and Canada.
Around 650,000 houses were destroyed by the wrath of Sandy. Major cholera outbreaks were also reported; the number being approximately 12,000.
Strong measures have been taken by the governments of countries to prevent the destruction caused by hurricanes and tornadoes, but who knows how powerful the future hurricanes may be. After all nature is always one step ahead of us.
