Hurricane

Public Service
Announcment
Calli Morales 004 338 111

Nick Burkhart Shengan Zhan -- 2017

Types of Hurricanes:
It is difficult to truly comprehend the magnitude and strength of hurricanes without

enduring one yourself. The purpose of this document is to properly illustrate the severity,

strength and possible scenario of hurricanes of varying sizes. The five different categories are

measured using the Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Category Wind Speed Effects

Dangerous: Little Damage to living structures. Some mirrors
1 74-95 mph could be broken or small objects thrown around. Majority of
problem caused by flying debris. No major damages or many
lives lost.
Very Dangerous: Harsh winds can almost certainly shove
2 96-110 mph people. Nearly all power lost in suburban rural areas.
Considerable damage to mobile homes and vehicles. Smaller
trees blown over.
Distressing: Structures in construction or built recently are
almost guaranteed to be destroyed. Well-constructed homes will
3 111-130 mph have parts blown away. Most structures, large objects and
vehicles will suffer heavy damage. Power should be expected to
be out for days/weeks. Some lives are likely to be lost.
Devastating: Older or small homes are almost certainly
destroyed. Major erosion in most non-urban areas. Mobile-
homes, vehicles and large objects will suffer major damages.
4 131-155 mph Any vegetation will likely be killed. All trees, plants, and signs
blown over. Urban areas will suffer damages to lower levels due
to inundation. Terrain under the 10ft mean sea level may flood
inland up to 8 miles. Many deaths.
Catastrophic Damage: Massive evacuation of region must be
156 mph and taken. Extreme damage to all buildings. Nearly all homes
5 comprised of under 20 units will be destroyed. Major number of
up
deaths and loss of power for weeks-months. Terrain under the
15ft mean sea level may flood inland up to 5-10 miles.
Sources: http://www.vastormphoto.com/hurricanecategories.htm
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
http://www.e-missions.net/HurricaneAlert/includes/docs/HA%20cat%20and%20effects.pdf
Hurricane Paths:

There are multiple factors which are taken into play when understanding the wind speed,

size, and location. With hurricanes which touch the United States, they almost always tend to

coagulate near the Atlantic Basin. It is due to the variation between colder and warmer water

temperatures in these locations that hurricanes are able to ensue. Warmer water is provided by

the Gulf Stream, keeping up the strength of the hurricane (ScientificAmerican). A majority of

hurricanes tend to circle from the east and then arch their way up the south of the US and into the

east. The graphic below illustrates a typical path a hurricane may follow when touching down on

land in the Unites States. Each path illustrates a different strength shown on the Simpson Scale.

As some hurricanes are more powerful than others, some areas are more susceptible to

tier forces. Because of geographic differences, some counties may experience more damadge
than others despite having a less powerful hurricane strike them. While a major hurricane has the

power to shock large regions, there are geographic differences that make some areas more

vulnerable than others. Some factors include: high tide, elevation, infrastructure age, hurricane

path, and more. In addition, while a hurricane may cause minimal damage in terms of number of

lives lost, it is very possible that it can be something very costly to the country. Below is a list of

vulnerable counties to such events.

County State Population
Willacy Texas 21, 903
Harris Texas 4,441,000
Galveston Texas 314,198
St. Mary Louisiana 110,382
Orleans Louisiana 41,984
Plaquemines Louisiana 23,447
Jackson Mississippi 210,287
Brevard Florida 556,885
Palm Beach Florida 1,398,000 US Census
Miami-Dade Florida 2,663,000 factfinder.census.gov
 As one can see, a majority of the most vulnerable selected areas fall near where the warm

and cool water meet. This is because a majority of the hurricanes which develop in this region

not only tend to strike land (some hurricanes do not), but also because the mixing of water leads

to a more powerful impact when the storm does touch land.

In addition, these points are particularly vulnerable because of their hurricane history.

Areas in Florida, Louisiana and Texas are the states which have been hit the most with

hurricanes in the United States. In addition, many of these counties are home, or very proximal,

to popular city locations, like

Houston, Miami-Dade,

Tampa, and more. These

cities hold millions of people

and have much money

invested in their

infrastructure. While many

of these areas have

experiences their fair share

 of hurricanes, because

their geographic position

places them near the

ocean. Another reason as

to why these regions are

vulnerable to hurricanes is

their mean elevation. For

example, much of Florida,

while surrounded in 3

sides by water, also has an average mean sea level of below 10 feet. With storm surges ranging

in the double digits, it is important to think of the literal and life cost that can come to powerful

hurricanes. If a hurricane carries with it a high storm surge, it carries with it the ability to destroy

a majority of whatever is in its path. The highest storm surge ever recorded was during hurricane

Katrina with a high water mark of over 34 feet. (wunderground.com) This however was an

exception because a high tide was running over 10

ft. at the time, making it especially deadly. The

higher the storm surge, the more destructive and

uninhabitable the region becomes afterward. These

storm surges have the ability to continue on for

miles inland.

Miami, Florida
This region has endured multiple hurricanes

in the past. However, if we look at the more recent

 history of Miami-Dade, it has not had a major

hurricane in over 25 years. Some experts say this is

long overdue and it likely to be catastrophic to its

people and economy. When we look at a possible

hurricane scenario occurring here, it is important to

take into account that a majority of the population

resides within the first few miles of the coast. In

addition, most of the population in Miami resides

within the first 20 miles off the coast. There is no

surprise that people from all over the world visit

Miami as a getaway. Its luxurious suites and lavish life attract wealth and prosperity, but is a

category 3, 4 or 5 storm were to fall, it would completely destroy on of the richest counties in the

world. Its flat surface provides little deflection from rough winds, and proximity to water make it

extremely vulnerable Because of its beaches and

touch of it attracts wealth from all over the world. In

many cases, expensive hotels and beach houses make

Miami one of the richest counties in the United

States. Should a large storm hit this area, Floridas

attractive beaches would be ruined and any habitable

life destroyed. While there have been many storm in

the past in this region, Mother Nature does not keep

count.
 Work Cited:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/top-5-most-vulnerable-us-cities-to-hurricanes-
atlantic-tropical-season/48281135
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/top-5-most-vulnerable-us-cities-to-hurricanes
https://coast.noaa.gov/hurricanes/
http://www.e-missions.net/HurricaneAlert/includes/docs/HA%20cat%20and%20effects.pdf
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/
http://flhousingdata.shimberg.ufl.edu/a/profiles?action=results&nid=4300
http://www.hurricaneville.com/effects.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-hurricanes-hit-the/
http://www.vastormphoto.com/hurricanecategories.htm
http://www.wxresearch.org/family/pg5.html
https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/surge_us_records.asp?MR=1
Professor Raphael Met with on June 9th, 2017
Hurricane data:
Andrew - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html
Hugo - http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/1989/HUGO/track.dat
Charley - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL032004_Charley.pdf
Katrina - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL122005_Katrina.pdf
Bret - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL031999_Bret.pdf
Fran - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL061996_Fran.pdf
Ike - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092008_Ike.pdf
Dolly - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL042008_Dolly.pdf
Irene - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092011_Irene.pdf
Earl - http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL051998_Earl.pdf
Gaston- http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL072004_Gaston.pdf