21st February, 2024
ANUPA MUKHERJEE
Natural disasters like hurricanes can leave devastating impacts on communities. Let's look at the top 6 deadliest hurricanes in recorded U.S. history.
● Category 4 storm hitting Galveston, Texas. ● Estimated fatalities: 8,000 - 12,000 ● It caused widespread destruction, significantly changing Galveston's infrastructure.
● A Category 4 hurricane devastated Florida, particularly around Lake Okeechobee. ● Estimated fatalities: 2,500 + ● Flooding from the storm surge resulted in the most tremendous loss of life.
● Category 5 storm (reduced to Category 3 at landfall), hitting Louisiana, Mississippi, and neighboring states. ● Estimated fatalities: 1,200 + ● Levee failures in New Orleans led to catastrophic flooding.
● Category 4 storm hitting Louisiana. ● Estimated fatalities: 1,100- 1,400 ● The powerful storm surge caused most of the destruction and loss of life.
● Powerful Category 3 storms are affecting South Carolina and Georgia. ● Estimated fatalities: 1,000 - 2,000 ● This late-season hurricane brought a devastating storm surge and heavy rainfall.
● While less specific, this storm, likely a Category 2, hit Georgia and South Carolina. ● Estimated fatalities: Approximately 700 ● Impact and details need to be better understood due to the less advanced records at the time.