Is this the most serious hurricane threat U.S has faced?

[rob8303]

Apart from Andrew, and Floyd (which was more a media-hype event, given the fact it weakened dramticall, than an actual hurricane), is Isabel the most serious threat U.S has faced in a long time?
BTW, I forgot the estimates, if this hurricane hits S Fla, Miami or CFla, Orlando/Tampa or back to S/FLA West palm, what are the damage estimates if it's a cat 4 and what are the expected casualty figures?
I wish everyone in this storm's path good luck

[Josephine96]

In South Florida, you have...

Tons of beaches and nice hotels I'm sure.. you have tons of people in the Keys, Homestead, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, just to name a few.. Lots of places rebuilt after Andrew that may be in danger of destruction all over again..

In Central Florida.. you have KSC, Mickey Mouse and the rest of his Disney friends, Universal, Busch Gardens, some beautiful beaches, a pier which lost a good chunk of itself after Floyd battered it..

I dont know about life losses.. But damage would definitely be in the high millions...

[GaryOBX]

rob8303,

I would hardly call Floyd a "media-hype event," as you have put it. There are people here in NC still living in temporary housing because of Floyd.

Floyd may have been a bust for FL, but it caused a tremendous amount of damage here... with the worst damage being 60-100 miles inland!

Everybody fears the winds, but it's the surge and flooding that causes the most damage, financial ruin and deaths in a hurricane such as Floyd. Just ask a Floyd survivor.

[TampaFl]

In todays dollars IMHO (and these are not exact #s), If Miami takes a direct hit damages could exceed $50 Billion., the Tampa Bay area $25 - 40 Billion. Thoughts and comments welcomed. :cry:
Robert

[Suncat]

Coastal NC will be a disaster if a storm of the magnitude of Isabel makes a direct hit. The coast from Wilmington north to Hatteras has become highly developed. The beaches are narrow and in most places, there are no sand dunes or maritime forests. That means that there is very little natural area remaining to reduce the fury of the storm.

We could be looking at damage in the billions of dollars if a Cat 3/4 storm hit here!

BTW, plywood is in short supply and what is available is expensive!!! :o

[charleston_hugo_veteran]

I hope I never ever see another Hugo!!!!

[WeatherEmperor]

I live in Miami. The city of Miami didnt face nearly as much damage from Andrew as Homestead and Florida City did so if anything, those 2 cities would be more beaten up by Isabel should she come here. The population is very huge here in South Florida no doubt.

[GalvestonDuck]

Rob, have ya researched the 1900 Galveston storm? To fully understand it, you need to understand how populated and productive Galveston was at the time. Houston was a mere farming town back then. Go figure.

[TampaFl]

I just bought the book "Issac's Storm" on the 1900 hurricane Galvestonduck. Looks to be very interesting reading and I am sure that will be a real eye opener.

Robert

[opera ghost]

I think a Cat3, 4 or 5 Hurricane hitting the Galveston/Houston area would be a natural disaster the likes of which hasn't been seen in a long long time- even given the way that Galveston has fought to raise the island off sea level.

By the same token- we're not on the map for a strike possibility right this moment.

I think She'll be a nasty one- but I'm not going to guess about how bad untill she's closer.

[JetMaxx]

If Isabel slams into Florida between Homestead and West Palm Beach at it's current intensity (145 mph IMO)...it will be the worst natural disaster in United States history..

As bad as Andrew was, this will be worse...because Andrew was tiny with a narrow core of devastation only 25 miles wide that MISSED downtown Miami and Miami Beach...Isabel is already twice the size of Andrew, and will likely have an even large core when it reaches SE Florida.

If Andrew had been this large, downtown Miami would have been leveled...and Miami Beach would have went completely under water...from a 12-15' storm surge.

This hurricane is a monster....and unlike Floyd, the odds are increasing for a direct hit on south Florida....possible recurving up through the state or just offshore the West Coast. There's little anyone can do to lower the property damage this storm is capable of...but I just hope and pray EVERYONE evacuates the barrier islands and other low areas prone to storm surge and inland flooding (i.e. Evacuation Zones).

This hurricane is giving everyone plenty of time to prepare and evacuate in an orderly fashion....and I hope and pray they do.

PW

[opera ghost]

If Isabel slams into Florida between Homestead and West Palm Beach at it's current intensity (145 mph IMO)...it will be the worst natural disaster in United States history..

As bad as Andrew was, this will be worse...because Andrew was tiny with a narrow core of devastation only 25 miles wide that MISSED downtown Miami and Miami Beach...Isabel is already twice the size of Andrew, and will likely have an even large core when it reaches SE Florida.

If Andrew had been this large, downtown Miami would have been leveled...and Miami Beach would have went completely under water...from a 12-15' storm surge.

This hurricane is a monster....and unlike Floyd, the odds are increasing for a direct hit on south Florida....possible recurving up through the state or just offshore the West Coast. There's little anyone can do to lower the property damage this storm is capable of...but I just hope and pray EVERYONE evacuates the barrier islands and other low areas prone to storm surge and inland flooding (i.e. Evacuation Zones).

This hurricane is giving everyone plenty of time to prepare and evacuate in an orderly fashion....and I hope and pray they do.

PW

I have to, respectfully, disagree with the statement : "it will be the worst natural disaster in United States history..."

Andrew and his ilk had nothing on the Galveston Hurricane of 1900- almost no one was evacuated, at that time Galveston was little more than a sandbar with houses- most places not reaching more than 5-10 feet off sea level. It's estimated that around 6,000 people died on that day- bodies washed up on the beach for weeks. I dont' believe it's possible for another hurricane to have that kind of imact on the US ever again- between the technology to predict and the knowledge about building on sea level and the disasterous consequences...

I agree Isa coul be worse then Andrew- or any of the other hurricanes most people immediatly think of when thinking "monster". But no hurricane in this modern age can inflict as disasterous of consequences as the 1900 Hurricane at Galveston. Sorry

and thank GOD about that.

[rockyman]

Last year, with Lili approaching, I read several VERY scary articles about the potential impact of a Cat 5 (or even 4) direct hurricane hit on the City of New Orleans. Here's one of the articles:

http://www.americanradioworks.org/featu ... cane5.html

which estimates a death toll of 20,000 to 40,000 people!

From what I've read, New Orleans would definitely get top honors for the most dangerous place to be in a Cat 5 hurricane.

[Sean in New Orleans]

If the storm came to New Orleans, I would leave even though my residence is in a concrete building on the second floor. My residence would survive with no damage, but I couldn't live that long without electricity or various other needs. In any case, let's not forget about Hurricane Camille in 1969. This is by far the most powerful to hit the US in memory. The storm slammed into Pass Christian, MS (just by Gulfport-Biloxi metro area) with sustained winds of 190 mph with higher gusts--that's one powerful monster!

[zoeyann]

Sean, I agree GET OUT if something like that comes. I'm actually about an hour further south than you, but have you seen the article the time did on what would happen if a hurricane like that came. Your concrete building could suffer plenty of damage. The problem living in a bowl is it's not the wind but the water, and with a big storm if one doesn't get you the other will.

[Lindaloo]

What Perry means, opera, is property loss. All coastlines are booming, more so than in 1900. He is not talking about deaths.

[GalvestonDuck]

Andrew and his ilk had nothing on the Galveston Hurricane of 1900- almost no one was evacuated, at that time Galveston was little more than a sandbar with houses- most places not reaching more than 5-10 feet off sea level.

True about the layout. However, I have to disagree with your "was little more than a sandbar with houses" wording. Galveston was known as "the Wall Street of the Southwest" at the time and it was the richest city in Texas. It was a major port city with cotton going out and, sadly, slaves coming in. There were approximately 37,000 people living on the island and estimates between 6,000 and 8,000 (or even more) dead -- that's at least 1/6 of the entire population. Almost 4000 homes and buildings were destroyed. The highest elevation was 8.7 feet but the storm surge was 15.7 feet.

The survivors were discovering and uncovering up to 70 bodies a day for over a month after the storm. Many of the bodies were weighted down and tossed into the Gulf (makes swimming in it appealing, doesn't it?) but some broke free of the weights and floated back onshore. Others were burned in large funeral pyres because there simply wasn't enough room to bury them all. I think about that sometimes, when I'm walking along the Seawall and along areas behind the Seawall, where the island was raised. I think about how I could be walking on someone's "burial ground" where the ashes of a cremation may be mixed in with the sand that was used to raise the island -- on Galveston's "Ground Zero." I can imagine how people walking in Manhattan at the site of the 9/11 Ground Zero must feel.

*sigh*

Enough about the Galveston disaster. I'm praying for the Bahamas, Florida, the east coast, and other areas that might be in her path.

[Lindaloo]

I agree AFLAC! I saw the documentary on that storm. Galveston was a booming town in 1900. There were plenty of buildings and they even had a downtown. To assume it was a sand bar with houses is not true.

[Johnny]

The Discovery Channel recently ran a special on the disastrous hurricane that hit Galveston in 1900. Galveston was a booming town with 37,000 residents at the time and 6,000 of them cherished in the storm. This is the deadliest natural disastar in U.S. History hands down.
Even though Isabel will more than likely be packing one heck of a punch and death will be in her cross-hairs.......it won't even come close to touching the 'Storm of 1900' thank God. We have come a very long ways since then. I posted this awhile back but if anyone wants to read up on the 'Storm of 1900', the link is posted below.


http://www.1900storm.com/

[Anonymous]

If the storm came to New Orleans, I would leave even though my residence is in a concrete building on the second floor. My residence would survive with no damage, but I couldn't live that long without electricity or various other needs. In any case, let's not forget about Hurricane Camille in 1969. This is by far the most powerful to hit the US in memory. The storm slammed into Pass Christian, MS (just by Gulfport-Biloxi metro area) with sustained winds of 190 mph with higher gusts--that's one powerful monster!

In Pass Christian, Camille caused a 24.7 foot storm surge with large battering waves on top of the surge.

If there was a cane like that approaching the coast today, I would get the heck out of there days ahead of the storm. You can't ride out a storm like that. It would kill you.

Best thing is to board the place up and get the heck out. Remember Andrew in 1992: Peeps had no electricity or fresh water or food or shelter for days, even weeks.


-Jeb