By Sabrina Fay
The above thumbnail image was taken by NOAA via NBC News
America is no stranger to natural disasters, just like any other nation. Depending on everything from distance to the equator, tectonic plate movements, gyre currents and anthropogenic emissions, people in all farflung corners of the world fear various acts of nature. In the Midwest, dust storms threaten crops and property. In the West, earthquake safety is mandatorily part of various schools' curriculums. For the many areas along America's coastline, the ocean that is such a huge asset also becomes a vicious enemy.
Hurricanes originate from atmospheric disturbances in tropical waters. When the surface of the sea reaches a temperature of above 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit, it causes water vapor from the ocean to condense and rise as the heat does, creating an inward movement of air. That air spirals more and more towards the disturbance's center until it becomes a tropical depression and eventually a tropical storm. Once the storm's winds reach about 74 miles per hour, it becomes classified as a hurricane, measured on a Category scale (known as the Saffir-Simpson scale) from 1 to 5. The winds of a Category 5 hurricane have no ceiling and can cause catastrophic damage, though hurricanes of any strength often have disastrous effects.
Most people alive today remember storms like Rita, Ike, Sandy, Katrina, and Bob. They've come face to face with these unstoppable forces and know the utter devastation and loss that they can cause. Focusing on notable storms in recent years, and those currently berating our coasts, can make it easy to forget some of the notorious storms of the past. The people who dealt with these whipping winds often had little to no warning of what was happening, and were far less prepared to cope with the aftermath. The list below highlights some important hurricanes of American history, but is far from exhaustive:
- The Tempest of 1609: This storm was encountered head on by colonists at sea, trying to make it to the New World from Great Britain. Half a thousand colonists, spread amongst a fleet of ships and bound for Virginia, did certainly not expect to run abreast of a tropical maelstrom on their voyage. Though most of the ships made it safely to shore, one vessel, known as the Sea Venture, shipwrecked in Bermuda. The series of events is thought to be the inspiration for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
- The Cape May Hurricane of 1821: This storm was a Category 4 Hurricane, the most recent storm of such strength to fall upon New Jersey. People in the Garden State experienced winds as high as 200 miles per hour, winds which were also felt as far away as Philadelphia.
- The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926: This hurricane was first recorded 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles as only a tropical wave. That changed rather quickly however; the wave strengthened rapidly into a Category 4 hurricane, the eye (center) of which moved directly over Miami Beach. Many casualties occurred when residents who were unfamiliar with hurricanes went outside during a lull and were trapped when winds from the east came in. The town of Moore Haven was completely flooded and nearly every pier in the area was completely destroyed in what would be $90,000,000,000 of damage had it occurred today.
The Great Miami Hurricane via Huffington Post
Labor Day Hurricane of 1935: Though short, this storm was incredibly powerful. A Category 5 hurricane, it tore through the Florida Keys. Over 400 people were killed in this storm's reign of terror, many of which were World War I veterans who worked in the area.
Hurricane Donna of 1960: "One of the all-time great hurricanes" according to the National Hurricane Center, Donna is the fifth strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States. It is the only hurricane on record to produce hurricane-force winds in not only Florida, but also New England and the mid-Atlantic states. Over a hundred deaths were reportedly caused by the hurricane, the majority of which were due to intense flooding in Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Andrew of 1992: Regarded by many to be the costliest natural disaster on record, hurricane Andrew racked up nearly $30 billion worth of damage as it tore through south Florida, Louisiana, and the Bahamas. Though this storm nearly dissipated to the interference of vertical wind shear, it was able to move to a more favorable environment and strengthen into a Category 4 beast with storm surges of up to 17 ft. high.
Hurricane Andrew damage via NPR
With advanced jets and adept pilots able to circumnavigate the storms and complex mathematical formulas used to predict their paths, modern meteorological methods seem to have the upper hand in hurricane analysis. This allows at-risk areas to be put on alert and evacuate their citizens if the need calls for it. But the hurricanes themselves cannot be stopped, and still cause a lot of danger and damage wherever they strike.
"I've never been so scared," says former Port to Port student and University of Tampa freshman Elizabeth S. Though she only just moved to Florida to begin her college education, the young student has had to wrestle with whether or not to evacuate amongst her classmates and professors or stay and wait out the storm. "It's honestly terrifying to know that a hurricane of historic proportion is slowly making its way to my new home," she told me. No matter what measures we take, these storms will always pose a threat to both our lives and our liberties. Though relief efforts help to get affected places and people back on their figurative feat, the economic repercussions of storms as long ago as Katrina in 2004 are still being felt.
Natural disasters are one of a few things that can completely destroy a society, and hurricanes are just one of the many forms they can take. It's important to be alert, be hospitable, be safe, and above all, be informed.