question on Camille and Andrew canes

[mkapw]

This is an excerpt I found on a website about Camille that was in a thread here.
*************************************
Several sources consider Hurricane Camille the largest single act of destruction in United States history (until Hurricane Andrew in 1992). To this day, Camille remains the most extreme meteorological event to take place in North America. Although there is some question as to the total death toll, the best estimates are - 255 people killed, and 8,900 injured. A number of people (50 - 75) were never found. Nearly 14,000 housing units were damaged, and 6,000 others were totally destroyed (Coburn 1977). The total damage from Camille was $4.2 billion ( in 1969 dollars). As of the 2001 hurricane season, Camille remains the most intense hurricane to enter the United States mainland.


******************************************

Now question: What was Andrew a 4 or 5? And anyone have any pics of that hurricane?

[sunny]

Andrew was a 5.

[ricreig]

This is an excerpt I found on a website about Camille that was in a thread here.
*************************************
Several sources consider Hurricane Camille the largest single act of destruction in United States history (until Hurricane Andrew in 1992). To this day, Camille remains the most extreme meteorological event to take place in North America. Although there is some question as to the total death toll, the best estimates are - 255 people killed, and 8,900 injured. A number of people (50 - 75) were never found. Nearly 14,000 housing units were damaged, and 6,000 others were totally destroyed (Coburn 1977). The total damage from Camille was $4.2 billion ( in 1969 dollars). As of the 2001 hurricane season, Camille remains the most intense hurricane to enter the United States mainland.


******************************************

Now question: What was Andrew a 4 or 5? And anyone have any pics of that hurricane?

Andrew was upgraded after the season due to the damage inflicted.

BTW, look at http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hu ... amille.htm for an example of a Cat-V example of total destruction...the pictures define CAT-V.

Richard

[ricreig]

Dupe deleted

[mkapw]

Richard I did look at the site for Camille Thanks! Wondering do you know if there is one such as this for Andrew?

[ColdWaterConch]

http://www.noaa.gov/hurricaneandrew.html

Discusses the reassessment of Andrew.

As for pics, come on over to my house and we can go through a couple of boxes of them over a beer.

[TPACane04]

Andrew was originally a 4, but upgraded to 5 status after review of damage, wind assessments, etc

You bring up an interesting comparison....Camille was a killer due to unprecedented storm surge (Andrew had surge, but nothing like Camille)

Both had very high winds (170+) but Camille bit lower pressure.

I would say this....if a Camille-like storm hit the GC today, it would easily be the most devastating in terms of economic impact, regardless of strike area (unless it hit FL Big Bend)...a direct hit to NO, Biloxi, Mobile, Panama City and especially Tampa Bay would be a 20-40 billion dollar storm.

[wjs3]

The NHC called Andrew a 4, until post analysis 10 years later determined that it was in fact a 5. There are great write ups on Andrew and on the "post" meeting that changed it from a 4 to a 5 at the NHC:

The overall write up:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1992andrew.html

I can't find the link to the meeting minutes right now. Will post them later if I find. Also on the NHC site.

[ricreig]

Richard I did look at the site for Camille Thanks! Wondering do you know if there is one such as this for Andrew?

I haven't seen it but it *must* exist.

[ColdWaterConch]

google hurricane andrew pictures

The Sun Setinel put out a great book of pictures after the storm.

[c5Camille]

Camille had a 30+ foot tidal surge...
said to have been a WALL of water...

[TxAggie]

I would put the Galveston 1900 storm (Approx. 6000 dead) as the single worst natural disaster ahead of Camille. In second place, I would put the 1940ish Anchorage earthquake/tsunami.

[dhweather]

Andrew was originally a 4, but upgraded to 5 status after review of damage, wind assessments, etc

You bring up an interesting comparison....Camille was a killer due to unprecedented storm surge (Andrew had surge, but nothing like Camille)

Both had very high winds (170+) but Camille bit lower pressure.

I would say this....if a Camille-like storm hit the GC today, it would easily be the most devastating in terms of economic impact, regardless of strike area (unless it hit FL Big Bend)...a direct hit to NO, Biloxi, Mobile, Panama City and especially Tampa Bay would be a 20-40 billion dollar storm.

I personally do not agree with the post-mortem upgrade of Andrew.
If they are going to go back and review one, then they should for all.
All of the tools they used said 4 at landfall. Yes, Andrew was horrible and did a great deal of damage, but I don't like changing the rules of the "game".

[Hurrilurker]

google hurricane andrew pictures

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/andy1.html

[njoynit]

now what storm was the one to wipe out indianola wasn't that 1896 or somewhere in there?wiped a whole town out.never rebuilt.

[Tri-State_1925]

The reassessment of Andrew is troublesome. Instead of continuing to explore previously unseen, localized circumstances that may have caused a storm with estimated sustained 145 mph winds to create so much damage, they made a broad stroke justification of the damage by simply increasing the winds by 20 mph. Doesn't lend much to scientific exploration if you ask me.

I agree with the previous post. If the technology was underestimating the strength of storms in 1992, then other storms were "shortchanged" as well. Go back and increase the winds of Hugo and others.

[FloridaDiver]

The reassessment of Andrew is troublesome. Instead of continuing to explore previously unseen, localized circumstances that may have caused a storm with estimated sustained 145 mph winds to create so much damage, they made a broad stroke justification of the damage by simply increasing the winds by 20 mph. Doesn't lend much to scientific exploration if you ask me.

I agree with the previous post. If the technology was underestimating the strength of storms in 1992, then other storms were "shortchanged" as well. Go back and increase the winds of Hugo and others.

This is a weird thread, who really cares if Andrew was a Cat 4 or Cat 5? The pictures of the devastation in Southern Dade County should be more then enough to clarify the true strength of that storm. Ask the Insurance companies who paid out the record billions of dollars in damages if they care if Andrew was a Cat 4 or Cat 5? Ask those who lived though Andrew if they care what the final “classification” is. I lived it, and I have classified Andrew using my one “naming convention” however, due to censorship and keeping the moderators of this board happy, I can not post my true feelings (aka classification) of what Andrew really was.

[JQ Public]

He was just asking a question. I don't think this is a weird thread atall.

[patsmsg]

I too, think an injustice is done if storms are recategorized for political or other purposes.

With all due respect to the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew...He was NOT on the same level as Camille.

Andrew had peak gusts of 164 MPH according to NOAA. Pleas see:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml

According to NHC estimates, and I say estimates because Camille DESTROYED all of the barometric recording devices in the area, Camille sustained winds of 190 MPH with much higher gusts.

The photos of Camille "rubble" are not of mobile homes, but houses removed from their foundations and destroyed bya 25-30 foot wave of water.

[JtSmarts]

I might be wrong but I thought the 1935 Labor Day Storm was the most intense storm to ever hit the US.