The most destructive hurricanes that have hit the US

29 October, 2012

Hurricane Sandy, the mammoth storm has hit the densely populated north eastern region of the US on Monday. It has killed 66 people and also bought thrashing rains. The menace caused by the hurricane halted public transport, and also lead to closing schools, government departments and businesses.

HURRICANE SANDY is the largest ever hurricane to hit the mainland of US, about 50 million people are affected with this storm. The hurricane has destroyed trees, buildings and also caused power breakdown for the next few days. Though Hurricane Sandy is not as big as Hurricane Katrina but still it has caused major damage and lead to schools, government departments, businesses and stock exchanges to close, reported TOI.

Hurricanes have been a menace for the US for a long time, but the monetary damage due to hurricanes has increased in recent years. The reason behind this can be higher temperatures in the ocean, the increase in the number of the people and the increase of the value of the property in the coastal areas. The major hurricanes become expensive not just because they were powerful but because of the more people and property they put in harm.

The three most destructive hurricanes to hit the US are Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Ike. Hurricane Katrina is the sixth strongest hurricane to hit the US and was also one of the deadliest hurricanes. Katrina is known to be the most expensive hurricane ever. It took place in August 2005 and caused major damage in Florida and Texas. The flood protection system around New Orleans failed at that time and the region was flooded with millions of gallons of water. The storm damage due to Katrina is estimated to be $81.2 billion.

Hurricane Andrew is known as the second most powerful hurricane, and the speed of the wind caused by this hurricane was so high that the equipment which was used to measure the speed of the wind were literally torn apart. This hurricane affected the region from Northwestern Bahamas, to Florida and Southwest Louisiana in 1992, and caused an estimated damage of $40.7 billion.

Hurricane Ike hit the US in 2008, and is known to be the third most destructive hurricane in the US. The winds reached 145 miles an hour and were present over a 240 mile diameter area. It took around 200 lives and was measured as a category three hurricane. This hurricane affected Cuba, Texas, Florida and Louisiana. Hurricane Irk caused an estimated damage of $31.5 billion, reported the Daily Telegraph.