Hurricanes are not unique to modern humans. People in North America have been suffering the devastating effects of hurricanes for as long as the Florida and Gulf Coasts have been populated. The damages caused by a hurricane can leave a lasting economic, physical and emotional impact on cities and the people affected.

In 1870, the National Weather Service (NWS) was established in the U.S., but it wasn’t until 1955 that the National Hurricane Center (NHC) was founded in Miami, Florida. Operated by the NWS, the NHC is responsible for hurricane forecast and warning programs in the tropical and subtropical regions of the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific oceans, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas.

While hurricanes cannot be stopped or avoided, the NHC is able to issue warnings and predict hurricane paths in the interest of the safety and the well-being of Americans, especially those living in coastal communities.

Common Weather Dangers of a Hurricane

1. Inland flooding (Caused by torrential rains generated by slow-moving hurricanes)
2. Rip currents (Occur when a hurricane hundreds of miles offshore churns water and pushes rip currents to shore)
3. High winds (A hurricane’s category is determined by the wind’s intensity)
4. Tornados (Generated by the intense low pressure of a hurricane)
5. Storm surge (Capable of inflicting more property damage and endangering more lives than any of the other previously listed dangers)

What Are the Long-Term Impacts of a Hurricane on a Community?

• Economic disruption
• Population loss
• Exposure to new environmental stressors (often lasting weeks, months or even years after a major hurricane)
• Structural damages
• Direct and indirect health effects (i.e., water contamination, increased air pollution, damage to infrastructures like transportation, housing, healthcare or utilities)
• Business collapse
• Supply shortages

Five Devastating Hurricanes to Make Landfall in the U.S.

Florida is often the target for tropical storms and hurricanes, but we’re far from the only state that is commonly affected by tropical cyclones.

• Hurricane Andrew (1992) – Hurricane Andrew[NC1]  is a particular famous storm in Florida history. It was residents of Florida, primarily those living in Miami-Dade County, who were victimized by this horrific natural disaster. Roughly 250,000 residents of the county were displaced by the storm, which made landfall in 1992. One of the reasons this Category 5 storm, which boasted sustained wind speeds of at least 160 mph, was so destructive was its abnormal qualities. It was the first hurricane of that magnitude to hit Florida in a quarter century. It had long-term ramifications for the environment, tearing through the Florida Everglades and damaging trees and wetlands. Gasoline from marina fuel tanks and damaged boats continued to contaminate Biscayne Bay for almost 30 days after the hurricane had passed.
  • Property damage totaled around $26.5 billion

• Hurricane Katrina (2005) – One of the worst disasters in our country’s history, Katrina caused more than 1,800 deaths and remains the costliest hurricane to have occurred in the United States. Katrina developed as a tropical storm in the Bahamas, but it strengthened to a Category 3 storm by the time it reached Louisiana and Mississippi, where it brought winds of up to 120 mph. The geographically large storm affected 90,000 square miles of land. One of the historically tragic impacts of Katrina was the failure of New Orleans’ levy system, which resulted in the flooding of 80 percent of the city. Devastation can still be felt and seen nearly two decades later in neighborhoods and areas that never fully recovered.
  • Property damage totaled an estimated $108 billion

• Hurricane Irma (2017) – Hurricane Irma formed west of Africa in late August 2017. It became a major Category 3 hurricane days later and continued strengthening as it plodded west over warm Atlantic waters. It grew to be a Category 5 hurricane with maximum speeds of 185 mph. It passed through the Virgin Islands, stripping them of foliage and forests. It made landfall near Marco Island, Florida after plowing through the Bahamas, Cuba and the Caribbean Islands. Irma led to the deforestation of some of Florida’s mangrove forests and below-normal tides along Apalachee Bay. It was made more jarring due to its timing, arriving only two weeks after Hurricane Harvey.
  • Property damage totaled around $50 billion

• Hurricane Harvey (2017) – Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Corpus Christi, Texas. It wreaked havoc all along the Gulf Coast of Texas, displacing more than 30,000 residents in the Houston area. Heavy rain overwhelmed sewage systems and extreme water levels collapsed bridges and damaged or destroyed roughly 300,000 structures and 500,000 vehicles in Texas.
  • Property damage totaled about $125 billion

• Hurricane Maria (2017) – Hurricane Maria closed out the trifecta of record-breaking hurricane disasters in 2017, arriving barely a month after Hurricane Harvey. Its 175 mph winds swept through Puerto Rico, leaving the U.S. territory in a state of disarray from which Puerto Ricans never fully recovered. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost to Hurricane Maria — making it the deadliest U.S. natural disaster in 100 years. Over 200,000 people fled their homes (or what was left of them) and made their way to the mainland. A significant percentage of the island’s residents didn’t have power for almost a full year after the storm.
  • Property damage totaled about $90 billion

This is just a small portion of disastrous hurricanes that have impacted the U.S. over the last several decades. They are all examples of the unpredictability and destructive power of nature in the North Atlantic and along the Gulf Coast.

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Insert link to Hurricane Andrew blog.  [NC1]