It is unlikely that a dry description of a hurricane can convey all its power and destructive power. We can only say that in a hurricane of average power, as much energy is released as in the explosion of four hundred 20-megaton hydrogen bombs! And fortunately for us, only 2-4% of all this power is transferred to the force of the wind. Although this is quite enough to feel horror from the destruction and casualties, which are also a consequence of the huge wave that occurs during the passage of a hurricane.
The power of hurricanes is determined on a five-point scale. To date, humanity has experienced only a few such cataclysms of the greatest destructive force. The most powerful hurricanes in the world and the damage they caused are described below.
Mitch
October 1998 became a difficult ordeal for several countries on the Caribbean coast. A hurricane of indescribable power swept through El Salvador and Honduras. Nicaragua. Just imagine, the wind speed sometimes exceeded 320 km/h. Powerful winds, tidal waves and resulting mudflows swallowed 20 thousand people, more than 1 million were left without housing, food, water and medicine. Epidemics added to the disaster.
Great Hurricane
In the fall of 1780, nature unleashed its wrath on the Caribbean islands. San Calixto, or the Great Hurricane, with its enormous power swept from Newfoundland to Barbados, and did not bypass Haiti. And although the data for those times is very inaccurate, history speaks of 22 thousand victims. A 7-meter wave demolished almost all the villages, ships located in bays and near the coast were flooded. Eyewitnesses at the time described incredible rain that tore off the bark of trees before knocking them down. Scientists suggest that the wind reached 350 km/h.
Katrina
This monster with a beautiful female name appeared not so long ago. Originating in the Bahamas in August 2005 and quickly gaining strength, Hurricane Katrina unleashed its wrath on the American coast. The authorities were not prepared for such a rapid development of events. The deadly hurricane, which was classified as the highest category, killed 1,836 people and left more than 500 thousand homeless. Surely everyone remembers the stunning reports from the destroyed and flooded New Orleans. The worst thing is that human heartlessness joined the disaster: looting raged in the affected areas, chaos reigned everywhere.
Typhoon in Pakistan
This natural disaster, which occurred in November 1970, was probably the most destructive in the entire history of the human race. The wind of incredible strength raised an 8-meter wave that swept along the coast and several islands. The typhoon killed up to 1 million people, and the number of victims exceeded 10 million. The damage from the typhoon was incalculable: infrastructure was completely destroyed, a huge number of settlements simply disappeared from the face of the earth.
A strong storm is an element that sweeps away absolutely everything in its path. It can be very dangerous, especially for those regions that have never experienced such phenomena before.
In 2013, Europe was hit by the most powerful storm in 30 years. This happened on December 6, 2013. The cyclone was named Xavier. England, Belgium, the Netherlands and some other countries suffered from it. The storm began in the morning, but as soon as it touched the coast of England, there were already many casualties as it demolished everything in its path. Coastal cities and coastal areas were especially affected by the raging disaster. In Scotland, from the very morning all local television channels showed what destruction the storm had brought to this country. The powerful element even overturned a multi-ton truck.
Storm damage
As a result of this incident, people died. A little later, another person died there when a tree fell on him. In the UK, thousands of houses were left without electricity, as all power lines were cut at this time. In Glasgow, a hundred people miraculously managed to survive as the roof of the railway station suddenly collapsed during a storm. In Wales, a very large part of the city was flooded. Rescuers had to work very hard in order to have time to evacuate all those who needed it. It was very difficult for airplane passengers who at that time were making an emergency landing in the disaster area.
The main blow fell on the east coast. There was already something similar in the UK, but quite a long time ago. A severe storm was recorded there in 1953. Then the height of the waves approaching the shore was about 5 meters. The hurricane caused damage not only to Great Britain, but also to other countries. In Germany, the wind was so strong that the hurricane blew away cars driving on the highway. Hurricane Xavier could have caused significant damage to Russian cities. On the eve of this day, a storm warning was announced in Kaliningrad. People were forbidden to go outside unnecessarily. In many educational institutions, all classes have been cancelled.
Kaliningrad is under attack
It was especially dangerous to be near objects that could easily fall on people. In the Kaliningrad region, many residential buildings have been preserved from the pre-war years, so it was very dangerous to be near such buildings. Ships heading out to the Baltic Sea stood near the shore for several days. All of the above safety measures led to the fact that, fortunately, this time the hurricane passed over Kaliningrad and there were no casualties. Of course, the elements brought down the slate from some houses and felled old trees, but these are all trifles compared to human life.
Natural disaster forecast
Meteorologists believe that such natural disasters need to be predicted and promptly inform the population about the impending danger. This allows you to survive a natural disaster without serious losses. Such notifications significantly reduce material damage to citizens. For example, people, knowing about an impending hurricane, move their cars to safer parking areas. As a rule, they are driven away from old trees, which can collapse at any moment and cause damage to property. In addition, people living in private houses try to remove from the yard all lightweight objects and anything that can be demolished under the influence of an angry element.
The strongest storm brought a lot of trouble to the population and destroyed everything in its path. Experts hope that such a phenomenon will not be repeated often and will remain an isolated incident.
A tornado, or as it is also called, occurs in thunderclouds in the form of an atmospheric vortex spreading downward and often reaches the surface of land or water. The color of a tornado can vary and depends on where it formed.
Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, but they are most common between mid-spring and mid-summer. The largest number of tornadoes was recorded in North America, most of which occurred in the central states of the United States.
Up to 450 kilometers per hour
The record strongest tornado, which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records, occurred in one of the cities in Texas called Wichita Falls. The date when this destructive weather phenomenon occurred was April 2, 1958. The tornado that passed that day developed quite powerful wind speeds, sometimes reaching 450 kilometers per hour. Typically, such tornadoes are classified as destructive.
Another of the most powerful tornadoes in human history is the tornado that hit the United States on March 18, 1925. The speed of the passing tornado was up to 117 kilometers per hour. In three and a half hours, he managed to make his record journey of 352 kilometers through three states such as Indiana, Missouri and Illinois.
Tornado record holder
The number of people killed that day reached 350 people, and approximately two thousand people were wounded. The damage caused by this natural disaster was estimated at forty million dollars.
The record holder for the duration of its existence is the Mattoon tornado, which appeared in May 1917 in the United States of America. The duration of this tornado was seven hours and twenty minutes, during which time it managed to travel 500 kilometers. After the last Mattoon tornado, 110 people died.
The occurrence of two tornadoes at once was noted in May 1879 in an American town called Irving located in the state of Kansas. A strong bridge made of steel and 75 meters long was raised by them above the ground and turned into a twisted ball. Also, during the tornado, a wooden church was lifted into the air along with all the parishioners in it at that moment. A strong tornado carried her 4 meters to the side. The parishioners were not injured.
300 tornado victims
The tornado that passed through the Mississippi city of Natchez on May 7 in 1840 killed more than three hundred people and also injured 109 people. Shortly before the tornado appeared, the city was hit by heavy rain, accompanied by large hail. After the violence of the tornado, some of the debris of destroyed houses were even within a radius of fifty kilometers from the city. The tornado also swept along the Mississippi River itself, sinking more than sixty boats.
In the history of all past tornadoes, a tornado is also known, the appearance of which occurred in May 1896 in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. 255 people became victims of the disaster, and a thousand or more residents of this city were injured. For twenty minutes the tornado raged through the city streets. It also hit the Eads Bridge connecting St. Louis with the neighboring city of Illinois. The bridge did not suffer any major damage from the tornado, although it swayed in different directions like a blade of grass from the impact of the elements.
Tornadoes that appear in nature can be varied in appearance. So, for example, the most common type are whip-like tornadoes, which are a smooth thin funnel, the length of which is significantly greater than its radius.
Tropical cyclones or hurricanes bring with them not only extreme winds, but also heavy rains, large waves, storm surges and tornadoes. Interestingly, in North and South America tropical cyclones are called hurricanes, and in Asia they are called typhoons. Below is a list of the ten most destructive hurricanes on record.
Katrina is one of the most destructive Atlantic hurricanes in the history of the United States. It originated on August 23, 2005, in the Bahamas, peaked on August 28, and dissipated at 31. On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, Katrina was rated as a Category 5 hurricane. The wind speed reached 280 km/h. The cyclone and subsequent floods killed at least 1,245 people. Total property damage was estimated at $108 billion (as of 2005). New Orleans in Louisiana was hit the hardest - about 80% of the city's area was under water.
Andrew is a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane (with wind speeds of 270 km/h) that formed on August 14, 1992 in the Atlantic Ocean over the western coast of Africa. Andrew tore through the northwestern Bahamas, southern Florida and southwestern Louisiana, killing 65 people and destroying large numbers of homes, in many cases leaving only concrete foundations. The total damage caused by the hurricane in all affected regions exceeded $26 billion (as of 1992).
The Great Hurricane of 1780 or "San Calixto II" was the deadliest tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic basin, killing more than 22,000 people in the Lesser Antilles and Bermuda between October 10–16, 1780. The specifics and exact strength of it are unknown, since the official database on hurricanes began to be maintained in 1851. There is an assumption that the wind force could exceed 320 km/h.
“Ike” is a tropical cyclone of danger category 4 (wind speed more than 215 km/h) on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. Sailed through the Greater Antilles and the southern coast of the United States between September 1–14, 2008. It originated in the last days of August off the coast of Africa and by the time it reached North America near the city of Galveston (Texas), the diameter of the storm was more than 1,450 km, making it the largest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean on record. According to preliminary estimates, property damage from Hurricane Ike amounted to approximately $37.5 billion. It claimed the lives of 195 people in the United States, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Iniki was a powerful Category 4 hurricane that formed on September 5, 1992 and passed through the Hawaiian Islands. The wind speed reached 233 km/h. The total damage from Hurricane Iniki was about $1.8 billion (as of 1992). The hardest hit island was Kauai, where 5,152 homes were heavily damaged and another 1,421 were completely destroyed. As a result of the hurricane, more than 7 thousand people were left homeless and 6 people died. Iniki dissipated on September 13, halfway between Hawaii and Alaska.
The Galveston Hurricane was the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history, making landfall near Galveston, Texas on September 8, 1900. As a result, from 6 thousand to 12 thousand people died (the most often mentioned figure is 8000). With an average wind speed of 233 km/h, it was assigned danger category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. The material damage caused is estimated at $20 million (in 1900). Then more than 3,600 houses were destroyed, and only ruins remained of the largest city at that time in the state of Texas with a population of 42 thousand.
Pauline is one of the deadliest Pacific hurricanes to ever reach the shores of Mexico. It was formed on October 5, 1997, approximately 410 km southwest of the city of Santa Maria Huatulco. It initially moved east and then turned northwest, reaching peak wind speeds of 215 km/h. Moving parallel to the Mexican coast, Hurricane Pauline caused heavy rainfall, causing flooding and landslides in some of Mexico's poorest areas, killing 230–500 people. As a result of the hurricane, tens of thousands of homes were destroyed and damaged, and about 300 thousand people were left homeless. Total damage was $7.5 billion (as of 1997).
Kenna is third on the list of the most destructive hurricanes in history. This is a powerful hurricane that formed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean on October 22, 2002. Having reached a peak wind speed of 270 km/h, it was assigned danger category 5. The hardest hit cities were San Blas in the Mexican state of Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco, where more than 100 people were injured. As a result of the hurricane, thousands of homes were damaged or completely destroyed. In total, it claimed 4 lives and caused $101 million in damage (as of 2002).
Typhoon Nina is a category 4 tropical cyclone (maximum wind speed reached 250 km/h), which passed through Taiwan and China in early August 1975. In central China's Henan province, heavy flooding caused by rain destroyed the Banqiao Dam and caused 62 dams to break. As a result of the flood, 26 thousand people died (according to other sources up to 85,000), and later - due to famine - about 145 thousand more. In addition, over 300,000 livestock died and approximately 5,960,000 buildings were destroyed. The hurricane is estimated to have caused $1.2 billion in damage (1995).
Cyclone Bhola was a devastating category 3 tropical cyclone (maximum wind speeds of 205 km/h) that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the Indian state of West Bengal on November 12, 1970. This is a tropical cyclone with a record number of casualties, and one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. An estimated 300,000–500,000 people lost their lives, mostly as a result of the 9m high storm surge, which swept away entire villages and farmland in the region along its path. In the worst-hit upazilas of Thanh and Tazumuddin, more than 45% of the population died. The total damage from the cyclone was $86.4 million (as of 1970).
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