More than 700 hurricanes of various strengths sweep across the United States per year. The state of Kansas is recognized as the leader in the number of these destructive phenomena with its 1200 cyclones per year. By the way, if in North and South America destructive tropical cyclones causing tornadoes or tornadoes are called hurricanes, in Asia they are also called typhoons. Today we present Top 10 most destructive hurricanes in history, the victims of which were hundreds of residents of different parts of the planet.
In Russia, such cataclysms occur much less frequently, and tornadoes are formed, as a rule, in coastal waters and rarely come to land.
10. Typhoon Bhola (Pakistan, 1970)
A powerful typhoon hit the coast of East Pakistan, causing the formation of a wave 8 meters high. According to various estimates, the death toll from the hurricane ranged from 300 to 800 thousand people, more than 10 million residents of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India were left homeless.
9. Hurricane Pauline (Mexico, 1997)
Hurricane winds and torrential rains caused landslides and flooding in various parts of Mexico. About 400 people are considered dead, and 300 thousand Mexicans were left without housing and livelihood. The damage to Pauline is estimated at $ 7.5 billion.
8. Hurricane Nargiz (Myanmar, 2008)
The hurricane caused a catastrophic flood, from which, according to the UN, 138 thousand people died. 2.4 million people in Myanmar are believed to be affected. The damage caused by Nargiz is estimated at $ 4 billion.
7. Hurricane Sandy (USA, 2012)
The most devastating hurricane of last year hit the east coast of the United States. The hurricane killed 113 people. The states of New York and New Jersey suffered the most damage.
6. Typhoon Nina (China, 1975)
The destructive force of Hurricane Nin allowed the Banqiao Dam to break through, causing catastrophic flooding and destruction of other dams. The number of victims of the hurricane ranges from 100 to 230 thousand people.
5. Hurricane Charlie (USA, Cuba, Jamaica, 2004)
Gusts of wind during the rampant of this element reached 240 km / h. The hurricane was assigned the 4th category on the Saffir-Simpson scale out of five possible. In the United States, 2 million people were evacuated. Charlie's damage was $ 16.3 billion.
4. Hurricane Ivan (USA, Cuba, Cayman Islands, 2004)
The hurricane was awarded the highest fifth category on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The element is responsible for the massive destruction in Cuba, the United States, Jamaica and Grenada. The damage caused by Ivan is estimated at $ 18 billion.
3. Hurricane Wilma (USA, Cuba, 2005)
This hurricane is the most powerful cyclone in the Atlantic on record. The cyclone originated in the ocean and went ashore several times. The deaths from Wilma are considered 62 people, the damage caused is estimated at $ 29 billion.
2. Hurricane Ike (USA, 2008)
The diameter of the giant vortex was more than 900 km. The wind speed during the hurricane reached 135 km / h. The cyclone “walked” through the United States for 14 hours, bringing with it $ 30 billion in damage.
1. Hurricane Katrina (USA, 2005)
The most devastating hurricane of the past decade is by far Katrina. One of interesting facts about hurricanes says that they are almost never accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, Katrina was an exception to this rule.On the Saffir-Simpson scale, the cyclone received the fifth category. The flood caused by the hurricane covered 80% of New Orleans under water. 1,836 people died and the damage amounted to $ 125 billion.