| SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Hurricanes
Hurricane Facts, Tips and Safety Protocols
The
Destructiveness of Hurricane Storm Surges
Storm surges come in many shapes, sizes, and strengths. Whether
a storm is classified as tropical storm, or as a hurricane,
each storm surge has its own kind of destructiveness, and
even if some are historically worse than others, they each
have their own price to pay. Generally speaking, a
storm surge is defined as a sudden rush of waters that
hit the
coastline in conjunction with a tropical storm. Onlookers
have described storm surges to look like dark green or
even black walls of ocean water that may be as high as
twenty feet. It has been estimated that these walls of
water can be anywhere between 50 and 100 miles long, and
in a single moment of landfall destroy an entire group
of homes and businesses located in their path. As a matter
of fact, most hurricane fatalities are estimated to occur
during the storm surge phase rather than during any other
phase of the storm.
While very often you associate the damage done by storm surges
as simple property damage, it is important to note that such
monetary losses are only secondary. Granted, when it is your
home that is swept away by a storm surge, it is nearly the
end of the world, yet the loss of life is so much more serious,
and as was stated previously, fatalities are quite often the
result of drowning that occurs during the storm surge. Take
for example 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane that descended on Puerto
Rico, Florida, the Leeward Islands as well as the Bahamas.
Deaths due to flooding and the storm surges are estimated at
about 4,000 lives, but the odds are that there were many more
deaths.
Another example is the Bhola Cyclone that hit Bangladesh on
November 13, 1970. While it is hard to tell for sure just how
many people were swept out to sea during the cyclone, it has
been cautiously estimated that 500,000 died due to drowning.
What added to the deadliness of this storm surge is the fact
that much of the population was living in low-lying areas where
the flooding did not recede for days to come.
To further illustrate the deadly consequences of the destructiveness
of storm surges, you need to look no further than the August
29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina that devastated Mississippi, New
Orleans, and Louisiana. The storm surge associated with the
hurricane made landfall in such a violent way that levees were
breached quickly and added to the flooding of the cities. The
death toll may be as high as 1,836, but some estimate the numbers
to be much higher.
Considering the deadly consequences of storm surges and their
destructive powers, what can you do to survive them?
First and foremost, do not join the ranks of the observers
who like to congregate on shore to watch the clouds and waves
arrive. Sadly, these souls are usually the first to be swept
up by the waters, which arrive much faster than you can anticipate
or even outrun them, and the sheer force with which the surge
waters will slam into the surrounding infrastructure will most
likely kill them.
If you receive governmental warnings that the storm surge
is coming and that everyone needs to evacuate their homes and
head for higher ground, do so. It you have time, turn off the
water, electricity and gas at the main switches before you
leave. This is not the time to wait things out and see if maybe
the force of the storm will dissipate, but instead this is
the time to run as fast as possible to get away.
Emergencies and disasters can happen anytime, anywhere without warning. Protect yourself and your family. Click to see valuable emergency preparedness supplies and information. Be ready. Be prepared. I love this website. It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.
# # # # #
by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
> Home > Hurricane
/ Emergency / Disaster Articles
: Main Page
|
