Hurricanes: Are you prepared?

Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico - Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane in US history, totaling more than $75 billion in 2005 (more than $100 billion in 2009) in damages. Hurricane Katrina formed from a tropical wave fed by the remnants of TD10. On August 23, 2005, TD12 formed just in the Bahamas. The tropical storm moved west and strengthened into Tropical storm Katrina. Its next target was Northern portions of Miami-Dade County. On August 24-25, Katrina strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane, while 50 miles east of Miami-Dade County. When it hit, Katrina dumped over 15 inches of rain in Southern Miami-Dade county, prompting flooding. With winds of 70-75 mph, the storm exited Florida Bay, and underwent explosive deepening in the Gulf of Mexico. By August 27, the storm reached Category 3 strength, then strengthening more to a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. By August 30, having weakened to Category 3 strength, Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Alabama. Katrina ravaged the Louisiana Coastline for 6 hours before moving north. In its wake, Katrina created a scene that no one wanted to see again; people getting sick, people cannot get out of the Astrodome, and no buses and no travel. It took 6 days to get the entire personnel out of the dome., and it took 5 years to clean up 20% of the damages left by Katrina. All in all, Katrina was the worst hurricane in 2005's super season.
@mlotta (218)
Managua, Nicaragua
April 22, 2010 6:39pm CST
Hurricanes. They are the most destructive forces mother nature can unleash on the Earth. With its incredible winds and high storm surges, hurricanes are a danger to anyone along its path. They can unleash waves, winds of up to 200 mph, storm surges, and destruction at a massive scale. My fellow mylotters. Are you prepared if a hurricane should strike your area? (note: this only applies to coastal residents around the world, from Miami to Shanghai and Tokyo). We have experienced some type of hurricane impact in one way or another. I have experienced what a hurricane can do. I've been in Katrina and Wilma, which occurred in 2005, and I have to say that while hurricanes can be a beauty from afar and space, it can be disastrous when up close in land. More and more people are saying that 2010's hurricane season will be like 1998's or 2005's. Some of the people from the blogs are saying that 2010 will be a lot more active than last year's hurricane season. The question is, are you prepared if a hurricane should strike your area?
2 responses
standbymeforever
@standbymeforever (887)
• Australia
23 Apr 10
Where I am It is very unlikely for me to get a hurricane however if I did in this rare case no I would not be prepared at all. i would be very scared and unsure of what to do.
mlotta
@mlotta (218)
• Managua, Nicaragua
23 Apr 10
I know. Most people aren't very prepared for a hurricane, especially in areas where hurricanes rarely happen, like the New England Coastline. However, a hurricane has hit there before. In 1991, Hurricane Bob went on a track to Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was thought to be the worst hurricane since Gloria 6 years earlier, in 1985. However, no New England hurricane matched up to the Long Island Express of 1938, when category 3 winds devastated New Yorkers. It was thought to be a once-in-a-hundred-year occurrence. Hurricanes usually strike New England once every 70 years, and the last hurricane hit almost 72 years ago. That goes to show that even invulnerable areas are susceptible to hurricane landfalls.
reckon21
@reckon21 (3477)
• Philippines
17 May 10
For the life of me I will never be prepared for hurricane either my entire family. I have seen in the tv news and youtube the catastrophe the hurricanes bring to other countries and I'm sure if it will happen to our country we might never be able to recover. We don't have hurricane here in our country but we do have strong storms and typhoons from time to time. And as far as I know storm is much lesser in effects than the hurricane. I really felt strong sympathy for those people who live in those hurricane ravage countries. Life is always in danger and you will never know when this horrifying event may happen.