The Deadliest Hurricane, Essay Example

Hurricanes can be one of the deadliest forces of nature known to man. Some critic’s state hurricanes are not as fearful as tsunamis, earthquakes and tornadoes because man has time to prepare for them due to advanced technology of meteorology. However this does not lend hand to the aftermath of the severity of the destruction that is left behind.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast region has experienced many hurricanes since 1969 but none of these have compared to Hurricane Camille that devastated the coast the night of August 17, 1969. This was perhaps one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit North America with “barometer readings as low as 26.63 inches and wind speeds as high as 210 miles per hour.” (“Hurricane Camille-1969). The hurricanes initially went into the mouth of the Mississippi River near Buras and Grand Isle and made its way to the Biloxi and Gulfport areas destroying every home in sight. People who stayed did not survive the storm. Together Louisiana and Mississippi contributed funding to help rebuild the cities of destruction but people were out of electric, gas and water for months.

“This storm was known as the second strongest storm of the twentieth century.” (Fleury, 2009). The storm commenced as a simple wave off the western coast of South Africa and moved into the Atlantic coast until it gained the strength of a category five (5) before touching down in Louisiana and Mississippi. The hurricane gained its strength as it hovered over the warm airs of the Caribbean. The outer bands of the storm were gauged at 160 MPH and the eye of the hurricane was gauged at wind speed of 200 MPH when it finally hit.

References

Hurricane Camile-1969 (2009) Retrieved December 15, 2009 from, http://www.beauvoir.org/camille.html

Fleury, M. (2009) Second Strongest Cyclone of the 20th Century Retrieved December 15, 2009 from, http://tornadoeshurricanes.suite101.com/article.cfm/hurricane_camille_august_1969