Our planet has several natural disasters that occur throughout our history.These catastrophic events result in adverse effects and damages. Especially in our modern world, the impact of natural disasters is far more noticeable since we often see various structures getting destroyed, as well as several casualties.
One of the natural disasters that we often see is the hurricane, also known as the tropical cyclone. Storms do not occur anywhere. It mostly happens in places with high precipitation, like in tropical countries.
Similar to other natural disasters, hurricanes have a range of levels, depending on how powerful it is. Furthermore, it has various factors that gauge its power. During a storm, we might experience strong winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rains.
Throughout history, several hurricanes hit our planet. The effects vary from the level of the tropical cyclone, wherein some of them resulted in minimal damages. At the same time, some generated massive injuries to some places that left a mark in our history.
In other countries, people refer to hurricanes as a tropical storm, typhoon, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, or cyclone. Furthermore, a tropical storm would be classified as a hurricane if it reached a speed of at least 74 miles per hour.Its life starts in warm moist places over tropical bodies of water, mainly in the ocean.
Interestingly, hurricanes always come along with a name – which is the only natural disaster with a name. Every year, hurricane names start with the letter “A,” followed by all the letters on the English Alphabet. Ironically, despite the beautiful name a hurricane may sometimes have, its destructive power is undeniably inevitable.
In this article, we will look into the most significant hurricanes in history.
- Hurricane Yolanda, 2013 – this hurricane,also known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, is by far the deadliest in the country and one of the strongest in the world. It has a wind speed of 195 mph with a diameter of 800 kilometers. The heavy rains flooded the land and created powerful waves from the nearby seas that wiped away houses and people. The aftermath of the typhoon shows roughly 6,000 people killed and two-billion USD worth of damages.
- Hurricane Flora, 1963 –the typhoon Flora is a category four hurricane that struck the Caribbean, Haiti, and Cuba, which lasted seventeen days. Its effects were devastating, with roughly 8,000 people killed. Besides the fatalities, the intense hurricane created floods that destroyed local crops as well as infrastructures.
- Hurricane Katrina, 2005 –hurricane Katrina is one of the most famous hurricanes in the history of the United States, and also among the deadliest. Although the storm was initially category one, it grew stronger as it moves across the land, reaching category five on its peak. The typhoon hit the states of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi – leaving incredible damage to the area. The deadly storm resulted in 1,833 fatalities, and total damage costs reached US$161 billion.
- Hurricane Fifi, 1974 –this hurricane is one of the most historical that ever hit the American continent. The storm mostly struck South American countries in 1974. It was only under category two, but its devastating results are often unmatched. The fatalities reached roughly 10,000, along with several destroyed houses and structures. The catastrophic effects of the storm did not come from the strong winds, but from the heavy rainfalls, which created flash floods and mudslides. The disastrous event left thousands of people homeless and ended up burning thousands of bodies in one day to prevent the spread of disease.
- Hurricane Mitch, 1998 – Hurricane Mitch is one of the deadliest among all typhoons. It was initially a tropical storm that grew stronger as it moves. It eventually turned into a hurricane with incredible destructive force under category five. It landfall in several countries in South America and lasted for days. The main countries that took the most damage are Nicaragua and Honduras. The extreme rainfalls caused floods and landslides throughout the area. The effect of hurricane Mitch left 19,000 fatalities and severe infrastructural damages. The storm destroyed several homes and left thousands of people homeless. The damages are so severe that it made some places almost unrecognizable.