Important Points in This Chapter

• 1915 Galveston Hurricane – this killed nearly 8000 people in Texas, prompting officials to build a seawall in the area.

• 1900 Galveston Hurricane – this is the worst natural disaster we've had in the

US, killing as many as 12,000 people, destroying about 3600 homes and buildings.

• Hurricane Katrina – this struck Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005 and, while very destructive, it isn't the most destructive we've had. It killed more than 1800 people.

• The Great Miami Hurricane – this destroyed Miami as a category 4 storm in 1926 and would have cost more than $178 billion USD had it struck today. This is the costliest storm we've had in terms of dollars lost.

IMPORTANT POINTS IN THIS CHAPTER

• Tropical storms go by many different names depending on their intensity where they begin on earth.

• Almost all tropical storms originate within five degrees latitude of the equator.

• Most tropical storms move away from the equator region with the trade winds.

• Tropical storms must begin in an area where there is warm ocean water to draw energy from.

• Hurricanes are destructive for many reasons. There are storm surges, heavy rain, strong winds, and tornadoes to consider as damaging factors.

• Hurricanes are rated according to their windspeed.

• Up to 12,000 lives have been lost in a single hurricane event.

• Hurricanes lose their source of energy over land, which is why they dissipate soon after landfall in many cases.