Hurricane Rita

Where did Hurricane Rita start and end?

Hurricane Rita had initiated as a tropical wave in the Bahamas area on September 18th, 2005. The wave had initially taken its start from the coast of West Africa. The wave that originated thus, moved west and passed Florida Straits without any notifications, but later after crossing this region, it met with the warm waters. This increased the intensity of the wind to 180 mph within three days of its origin in the Bahamas. The strength reduced gradually as it started moving towards the northwest direction and eventually made the downfall between the regions of Sabine Pass, Texas and Holly Beach with a wind speed of 120 mph on September 24. It then moved to the Mississippi Valley and weakened further settling on September 26th.

How long did Hurricane Rita last?

It started off on September 17th, 2005 as a tropical wave on the coast of Africa. It reached the peak intensity on September 21 and then made the fall on September 24. Then it passed over Mississippi valley over the land surface and finally ended on September 26. Hurricane Rita lasted for about nine days.

Where did Hurricane Rita hit?

In its peak intensity, Hurricane Rita made the downfall in the southwestern regions of Johnson Bayou and Sabine Pass as a Category 3 hurricane. It is one of the most intense hurricanes of the 2005 season, and its impact was felt across Bahamas, Louisiana, Florida, Europe.Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos Islands and Arkansas.

When did Hurricane Rita hit?

The tropical wave that emerged on September 7, 2005, was declared Tropical Depression Eighteen on September 18th. It was named as eighteen because it was the eighteenth disturbance in 2005 But the winds organized itself and took the form of a storm and was named Rita.

What caused Hurricane Rita?

In the year 2005, several hurricanes hit the United States, and Hurricane Rita had caused its good share of havoc in the US Gulf Coast in September. The reason has been analyzed to be a coming together of different systems. What started as a tropical wave on September 7th was informed to be a tropical depression on 18th September. On moving west, the Hurricane got its boost from the warm waters and the reduced resistance from the wind shears it quickly transformed it into a  Category 5 hurricane reaching the top intensity on 26th September.

What was the wind speed of Hurricane Rita?

The highest recorded speed of Hurricane Rita was 180 mph, which is also measured as 285 kmph.

What were the responses to Hurricane Rita?

Hurricane Rita had followed soon after Hurricane Katrina and therefore the people and the society were well prepared to face the threat with all immediate emergency actions.

• American Red Cross Society has been providing its relief activities after the Katrina hurricane, when the state met with the Rita hurricane. It continued with the rescue operations after the storm. It has distributed more than a lakh meals and snacks to the people who were rendered homeless.
• Relief crews from the AmeriCorps were sent out to Texas which included the NCCC and the Emergency Relief Team.
• Victims were moved to relief camps.
• Federal funds worth about $500 million was released to Texas to face the aftermaths of Hurricane Rita.
• Louisiana National Guard and FEMA came together to provide the hurricane struck areas with food and water.
• Mobile homes and travel sailors were given to the people by FEMA.

What category was Hurricane Rita?

First declared as one of the tropical depressions like the several that happened that year. It later increased in intensity and became a hurricane under Category 5. It then reduced to category 4 due to the weakening of the hurricane eye and it later weakened gradually over the following days ending as a landfall with Category 3 intensity.

Why was Hurricane Rita so devastating?

Hurricane Katrina had wreaked havoc just three weeks before the area was hit again with the Rita hurricane. It started as a ridge in the ocean but gained momentum while passing over the western Gulf of Mexico with a speed of 150 miles per hour. About 120 deaths were reported due to the hurricane, and a portion of these was caused over confusions during the evacuation. The weakening of the wind shear and the warm water over the Gulf of Mexico had increased the intensity of the tropical storm. The eye wall replacement had lowered the speed followed by the traverse over land.

What were the effects of Hurricane Rita?

Louisiana was just recovering from the Katrina Hurricane devastation when Rita Storm took  over the area plunging it further into devastation. Lake Charles flooded over causing damage in the surrounding areas. Texas city faced significant damages. Over 4500 houses were destroyed on Southeast Texas. Over 50,000 single family homes faced other big and small damages. The expanse of devastation was vast that about nine counties were declared as storm stuck. Texas and Louisiana went without electricity for several weeks after the disaster.  The total estimated damaged caused approximated to $9.4 billion.

What was the death toll of Hurricane Rita?

The most number of deaths was reported in Texas city with over 113 in number. Of this, the major portion was said to be due to the Houston emergency evacuation over the hurricane warning as soon as it struck the area. The total damage has been estimated to be about $12 billion USD with a total of 120 deaths from four states in the United States.

Any other interesting facts found during research?

• Rita is the fourth most intense hurricanes of the Atlantic region.
• Very many tornadoes followed the Rita Hurricane.
• It was the second Category 5 rated hurricane of the 2005 hurricane season.
• The largest urban evacuation plan of all times was done as a precaution to Hurricane Rita in the US territory. Over 3 million people have evacuated from Louisiana and Texas alone.
• The worst gridlock was created during this time which lasted for about 24 hours in the Houston area.

Hurricane Sandy

Where did Hurricane Sandy start and end?

The Hurricane Sandy began its course as a tropical wave which modified into a tropical depression on Oct 19, 2012, in the Caribbean. By October 24th it attained a speed of 119 kph becoming a proper hurricane and rushed past the Caribbean to drop in Jamaica on October 24th. It left the Caribbean island and then revived as a Category 2 storm which reflected on Cuba on Oct 25 and then again reduced in speed. It had moved over the Bahamas before reducing down into a tropical storm and later gained back it's strength in the Category 1 mode and turned towards the US. By October 29th it changed its course to a tropical cyclone and made the landfall off the coast of South Jersey.

How long did Hurricane Sandy last?

Sandy started as a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea on October 22, 2012, and ended on November 2nd, 2012 lasting for about 12 days

Where did Hurricane Sandy hit?

Hurricane Sandy initially started out in the Caribbean falling in Jamaica. It revived and hit Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas. It then hit the United States, New Jersey reaching its impact to Pennsylvania too.

When did Hurricane Sandy hit?

The Hurricane dissipated in 22nd October 2012 as a Tropical Depression and was upgraded to hurricane status on October 24th, 2012.

What caused Hurricane Sandy?

It was classified under the category of a 'perfect storm' and has been attributed to the coming together of three factors. It started as a storm in the Atlantic Ocean with the temperatures above the normal sea temperature which gained speed with a ridge in the jet stream which moved the wind from East to West and finally the high tides brought up the sea level. The climate experts claim that the unusual temperature of the Atlantic Ocean can be attributed to Global Warming.

What was the wind speed of Hurricane Sandy?

The top speed of Hurricane Sandy was noted to be 185 kph, which is 114 mph.

What were the responses to Hurricane Sandy?

Several organizations came up with support and services to help the affected places face the perils of one of the costliest hurricanes that hit the world.

• The Disney group along with ABC Television raised $17 million by conducting a program by the name of “Day of Giving”. The amount was contributed to the American Red Cross Society.
• NBC conducted a telethon by the name of 'Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together and raked $23 million.
• The New York metropolitan area received $1 million from News Corporation.
• An NGO was formed in the name of Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund for relief work in New Jersey.
• A major concert was conducted on December 12, 2012, by the name of 12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy Relief. The program was organized at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the visitor count was about 1 billion. The event had some big names in the music industry like Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and several other popular music brands. It was also streamed across televisions and even Yahoo and AOL.
• Even though the Senate had placed an emergency relief bill request it was postponed by the House till an amount of 50.5 billion dollars was approved only later on January 28, 2013, which was passed as a flood insurance bill.
• Office of Storm Recovery was set up by Governor Andrew Cuomo, which was operational under New York Rising. It had given help of about $280 million to 6388 homes affected by the several recent storms. This was done in 2014.

What category was Hurricane Sandy?

It began as a Category 2  hurricane and made the drop in Cuba before attaining its peak intensity as a Category 3 hurricane.

Why was Hurricane Sandy so devastating?

The wind was initially thought to be a normal one, but later it picked up speed while it moved towards the tropical region taking up huge dimension. The meteorological society had later described the storm to have had unusual characteristics as it hit the New Jersey coast with the sudden shift to the westward direction and finally, the high tide at the Jersey coast increased the fierceness of the storm. It has caused a death toll of 180 people causing several billion worth damages to property.

What were the effects of Hurricane Sandy?

The areas near New Jersey and New York coasts were the most affected ones. Most of the fatalities were reported at the Staten Island. With a loss of over 180 lives and more than a $100 billion as loss of property. The South Ferry subway station which cost about $530 million was destroyed completely. There was immense damage caused to several roadways and subways.

What was the death toll of Hurricane Sandy?

The total deaths were evaluated to be about 285 with 125 deaths in the United States alone.  There were  42 in New York, 12 in New Jersey and others from Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Canada, and Haiti. About 37% of the deaths reported have been caused due to drowning, and there were also other indirect reasons like falls, illness, fire, trees falling, Carbon Monoxide and even automobile accidents.

Any other interesting facts found during research?

• The most costly tropical cyclone has been the Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Sandy has been evaluated to be next in line.
• It was the sixth costly hurricane of the world when several factors like inflation, population, and economic factors are considered.
• The total losses were estimated later in 2013 by Metropolitan Transportation Authority which placed it to be about $5 billion as monetary loss, $4.75 as loss of buildings and $246 estimated as a loss on revenue and future operating costs.
• About $315 million loss was caused to the Caribbean.
• Reports say that if the Sandy had made the downfall about 6 hours before or after its timing, it would have been low tide, and the same surge of the Sandy would not have caused such intense devastation.

Hurricane Andrew

Where did Hurricane Andrew Start and end?

When Hurricane Andrew occurred in August 1991, it was the worst hurricanes witnessed by the United States. It originated in the central Atlantic Ocean as a regular tropical wave and cyclone. It reduced the intensity when it met with the high winds but on changing its course to the west, the cyclone intensified and reached the Category 5 classification at the Bahamas. It reached the Bahamas as a hurricane on August 23 and quickly reduced intensity while passing over the island nation. On reaching South Florida it got back the Category 5 strength and made the downfall on Elliott Key and Homestead. It resurfaced at the Gulf of Mexico along the coast and reduced in intensity over Louisiana, and the intensity went down further over the land and by August 27 it settled down into a ridge in the Mississippi River.

How long did Hurricane Andrew last?

Hurricane Andrew started as a tropical depression in the Atlantic on August 16  and reached the maximum strength on August 22 becoming a hurricane. It landed in South Florida on August 24. It moved westward on increased intensity and made a landfall again on August 26 in central Louisiana which subsided in 24 hours as depression. It had in all lasted for about eight days.

Where did Hurricane Andrew hit?

It made its first downfall in Florida devastating several homes with profound property loss in Miami-Dade County. It had reached its top power over the Bahamas with tornadoes and strong winds mostly in the Cat Cays region. The second downfall was in the southern Florida region and Louisiana.

When did Hurricane Andrew hit?

It had started as an average tropical wind on August 16 and later developed into a hurricane while moving across the Bahamas and making the downfall on August 24, 1992.

What caused Hurricane Andrew?

The reason for the hurricane was later evaluated by the experts and was found to have bought on from the ocean near Africa in the form of a Tropical wave. In the North Atlantic Ocean, it met with intense pressure variations and the hot waters caused unusual cloud rotation with the tropical wave. At the Bermuda, it met with another low-pressure area which increased the rotation and the sudden high-pressure system quickly increased its speed while in the United States and thus it was signaled out like a hurricane. It was one of the most devastating hurricanes of 1992.

What was the wind speed of Hurricane Andrew?

The top speed of Hurricane Andrew was noted to be 282 kph which is 175 mph.

What were the responses to Hurricane Andrew?

The local emergency organizations were not prepared or equipped to face the calamity immediately. Within a few days of the hurricane Andrew, the bodies within the country were not able to handle the situation on its own such that within 24 hours of the strike of the disaster, Florida was put down as Federal Disaster Area.  

• Even though 5700 National Guards were arranged for recovery, it took three days for the emergency management team to reach Florida, and this has been noted to be due to political snarls within the Federal government at that time.
• The responsibility of recovery and management was split among 26 Federal Agencies, American Red Cross Society and also the Task Force on Hurricane Andrew, which was created by President George W Bush. With so many arrangements, it led to increased confusion situation rather than making it easier to handle.
• The military forces took up the humanitarian services like shelter, medicines, food water, and construction services. The National Guards looked to the law side of matters during the calamity.
• American Red Cross had provided quick back up with shelters for the homeless, providing volunteers and monetary help.
• The government of UK provided essential supplies with operational guard ships doing the job of relief operations.
• Help pooled in from Canada, Japan, and the United States even though the Bahamas had thought that they could face the situation on their own.
• Disaster aid of $7.1 billion was proposed by President Bush, which was later increased to 11.1 billion to include the help for Hurricane Iniki and Typhoon Omar.

What category was Hurricane Andrew?

With favorable wind shear on 22nd August, the wind developed into Hurricane with a rating of Category 5 at its peak intensity. It weakened to Category 3 on moving over Florida and restrengthened to Category 4 over the Gulf of Mexico.

Why was Hurricane Andrew so devastating?

The impact of the storm was defined to a small area of South Florida as the storm was not of comprehensive nature. But along its path it wrecked enough havoc. It had started off as a small ridge, and the wave started moving westward. The thunderstorm followed it. It was initially met with a moderate wind shear which reduced the intensity, but the next movement led the decrease in shear to increase the power of the Andrew Storm. Andrew then turned west, and an eye developed instantly making it a hurricane.

What were the effects of Hurricane Andrew?

Andrew missed affecting the businesses of Miami but got its surge in the residential areas of Florida. The power supply was instantly cut down which plunged the city into darkness making it impossible for people to find their homes with the street lights turned off. The total death count was 65, but the impact was realized as people over 2,00,000 people were left homeless. There were over 6 lakh homes and businesses destroyed by the strong winds in the Florida area.The damage caused to the boats was estimated to be about half a billion. The power outages, utility loss, water sewage systems, etc. were destroyed immensely.

What was the death toll of Hurricane Andrew?

The death toll in the Bahamas was low, and this has been due to the warning message sent out. There was only four death of which three was direct. There was 44 reported deaths in Florida with 15 straight ones and 29 indirect ones. If the wind had moved further north, it would have increased the death toll with several in Miami.

Any other interesting facts found during research?

• It was the first named hurricane of the year 1992.
• The loss of utilities and power has created significant problems throughout the country that lasted for a long time.
• People were left without power for about six months.