Repairing the harm of the unspeakable
The only difference between a hurricane, a cyclone, and a typhoon is the location where the storm takes place.
A hurricane takes place in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific while a typhoon takes place in the Northwest Pacific. Cyclones occur in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. You may also see a hurricane referred to as a tropical cyclone.
In 1900 an enormous hurricane struck the American city of Galveston, Texas, with winds hitting 215 km/h.
The tragedy destroyed all homes and buildings in its path, making it one of the worst hurricanes the world has ever seen.
More than 63,000 homes were destroyed, over 124,000 others were damaged, and the cost of damages totaled in the tens of billions. A large number of people also lost electricity, which took days to be restored.
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This cyclone killed over 1,300 people across southern Africa. Homes were destroyed and roofs were ripped off concrete buildings.
Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes and many more died in the tragedy. According to the US government, the hurricane has caused more than US$42 billion worth of damage.
On December 16 Super Typhoon Rai hit Siargao Island in the Philippines, a popular tourist destination on the central east coast, with winds of up to 260 kilometers (160 miles) per hour, classifying as a Category 5 storm, CNN reports. The typhoon proceeded to tear through homes, unearth trees, and topple electricity poles as it traveled west causing widespread damage and flooding. At least 208 people were killed and thousands more displaced.
The Philippine National Police said about 52 people were missing as of December 20, while 239 others suffered "considerable injuries." According to Casiano Monilla, assistant secretary at the Office of the Civil Defense, around 75% of homes in Bohol province were damaged, and 227 cities experienced power outages. The estimated cost of damage was said to be more than US$4.5 million.
Hurricane Fiona first hit Puerto Rico on September 18 and unleashed landslides, ripped up asphalt roads, tore down bridges, and knocked the power grid out leaving the whole island in the dark. Hundreds of people were evacuated as rushing flood water quickly overtook cars and homes, and forecasters said the storm threatened to dump "historic" levels of rain. At least two deaths were reported.
Fiona hit just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that struck on September 20, 2017, which also destroyed the island's power grid and caused nearly 3,000 deaths. People on the island had not yet recovered from that devastating storm, as CBS reports more than 3,000 homes still have weak infrastructure and a blue tarp as a roof.
Fiona then moved on to eastern Canada where it left at least two dead, and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect Canada in 19 years.
On September 27, 2022, Hurricane Ian struck Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, leaving the entire country without electricity, prompting massive evacuations, and flooding fishing villages. Over 2.5 million residents of Florida received evacuation orders or warnings as Hurricane Ian approached the state, set to make landfall on the night of September 28 somewhere along the Gulf Coast of Florida. A Category 3 storm carries sustained maximum winds of up to 208 km per hour, and Ian's last recorded maximum winds were 195 km per hour, as reported by Reuters.
The world's most devastating tropical storms
Cyclone Dana strikes eastern India, forcing mass evacuations
LIFESTYLE Hurricanes
With storms like these, you truly cannot be too careful. Discover the most lethal and destructive tropical storms in history in the following gallery.