Which hurricanes have left the most victims in the USA?
Hurricane Helene has left at least dozens dead in its wake. Here are past storms that have also caused a great number of fatalities in the United States.
Hurricane Helene has left behind a trail of destruction, including the deaths of dozens. The United States is unfortunately not a stranger to such tragedies.
Many storms have battered the country in the past, and though their ability to destroy is measured by the strength of their winds or the amount of water they bring, the ultimate gauge of their devastation is the number of lives they have claimed.
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Which hurricanes have left the most victims in the US?
Hurricanes have caused the most death and destruction among all recorded weather disasters in the history of the United States. Here is the list of tropical cyclones which have killed the biggest number of people in the country.
Great Galveston Hurricane (1900)
The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 flattened the island city on the Gulf Coast of Texas, killing at least 8,000 people, with some estimates putting the number as high as 12,000.
The storm left more than 10,000 people without homes, with property damage estimated at $30 million.
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Lake Okeechobee, Florida (1928)
This 1928 category 4 hurricane killed 2,500 after causing storm surges of up to nine feet in Lake Okeechobee. The cyclone formed over the Atlantic and barreled into Puerto Rico before making landfall in Palm Beach, Florida.
Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Considered the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, Katrina’s passage resulted in approximately $200 billion in property damage, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. It also extracted a steep cost in human lives, killing around 1,200, including 1,000 people in Louisiana.
Cheniere Caminada, Louisiana (1893)
This hurricane formed over the Caribbean Sea and made landfall at the fishing town of Cheniere Caminada in Louisiana. It then raged west and hit Mississippi, before wreaking havoc on Georgia and the Carolinas.
The storm damaged ships and destroyed crops and town property. Around 1,100 people were killed.
Sea Island Hurricane (1893)
This deadly hurricane made landfall south of Tybee Island near Savannah Georgia, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and creating 16-foot storm surge.
It hammered the Sea Islands of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The number of dead was estimated at 1,000, though other records put the tally at 2,000.