Find out the top five worst hurricanes – from Irma to Harvey – in US history, according to their total cost of damage
By
Around three hurricanes hit American shores each year during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November. With two recent hurricanes causing destruction and damage across Florida just weeks apart – Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton – here we look back in history to see the top five worst hurricanes according to the cost of their devastation, in reverse order.
5) Hurricane Irma (2017) – $64.2 billion
Hurricane Irma, at the time, was the most powerful Atlantic storm in over a decade, reaching wind speeds of up to 295km/h (185mph).
An estimated 1.2 million people were affected by the storm, and 55 were killed, impacting those across Caribbean countries such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Saint Martin, and US states including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Reaching the highest intensity – Category 5 – for a record-breaking 13 days across August 30 to September 12 2017, Hurricane Irma caused its most costly devastation in the United States, measured at more than $50 billion. In Caribbean countries such as Barbuda, $150-300 million was required to help rebuild infrastructure, of which 95 per cent was measured at nearly uninhabitable.
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, measures were implemented by several countries to protect themselves against future natural disaster impacts. Cuba developed a programme known as Tarea Vida – translated as ‘Project Life’ – that sought to prevent new homes from being built in threatened coastal areas, shift crop production from saltwater-contaminated areas and restore degraded habitats, among other solutions.
Read more: Geo Explainer: Are hurricanes getting worse?
4) Hurricane Sandy (2012) – $89.1 billion
Across nine days in autumn 2012, Hurricane Sandy claimed the lives of 70 people in the Caribbean and nearly 150 in the US, with its combination of cold fronts and particular hurricane conditions making it one of the biggest on record.
The hurricane formed after a tropical depression began off the northeast coast of Nicaragua, strengthening over several days as it moved over Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It took an unusual path too, westward into the northeastern US, a heavily-populated area.
As Sandy collided with a cold front, it combined with another storm system to create powerful winds across 1000 miles of the US east coast. In addition, a full moon at the time meant tides were pushed further ashore by one foot, all factors leading to the hurricane being dubbed a ‘superstorm’.
During Sandy, eight million people lost power, ranging from outages lasting a few days to several weeks. Widespread flooding was reported in New York City, affecting the city’s subway system. The effects of the storm were so significant that due to safety concerns, the New York Stock Exchange shut down trading for two days across October 29 and October 30 2012.
3) Hurricane Ian (2022) – $121.6 billion
Hurricane Ian formed as a tropical depression over the central Caribbean in September 2022, strengthening into a storm and making landfall near Cayo Costa in southwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm. After passing over Florida, and weakening into a tropical storm, Ian quickly picked up momentum and became a Category 1 hurricane that reached Georgetown in South Carolina.
The hurricane reached wind speeds of 155mph, the strongest recorded in Florida since 2018. With such intense winds and heavy rainfall, storm surges as high as 12 to 18 feet were recorded along the southwestern Florida coast.
Liked this article? We think you’d enjoy these too:
Hurricane Ian killed 160 people, with most fatalities occurring in Florida due to drowning from high storm surges. Ian also left significant and widespread damage across properties in western Cuba and North and South Carolina, with an estimated 8000 properties entirely destroyed in Cuba alone.
Although measures were taken in Florida following Hurricane Mitch in 1998 to make houses able to withstand hurricanes, storm surges from Ian caused most of building damages reported in the state.
Engineers pointed out that constructing buildings with ‘sacrificial’ first and second floors – which allow water to pass through walls – would have prevented water accumulation in homes and buildings that ultimately led to them being destroyed during Hurricane Ian.
2) Hurricane Harvey (2017) – $160.5 billion
Beginning as a tropical wave off the African Coast in August 2017, Hurricane Harvey eventually made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Texas coast near Port Aransas. Wind speeds exceeded 150 mph, and the equivalent of 1 trillion gallons of water fell across Harris County in Texas over just a four-day period.
In Houston, as much as 50 inches of rain (more than four feet) fell in just a few days, reaching record-level highs as more than one-third of the city was flooded.
According to a geologist, the weight of the water which fell in the hurricane was enough to temporarily sink Houston by two centimetres.
During Hurricane Harvey, only around 10 per cent of rivers in southeast Texas remained below flood levels, and 46 per cent of rivers reached their highest levels on record. Such extensive flooding caused widespread damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure, and led to the deaths of 107 people.
1) Hurricane Katrina (2005) – $201.5 billion
Hurricane Katrina remains the US’s worst hurricane, with estimated damages exceeding $200 billion. The hurricane also claimed the lives of at least 1392 people.
The storm began as a tropical depression over the Bahamas and made landfall between Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida. When it reached the Gulf of Mexico – and the warm waters that surround it – Katrina became more intense and reached Category 5, before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane along the Gulf Coast, with maximum wind speeds recorded as high as 140mph.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes, with impacts reaching across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. In particular, New Orleans was affected due to the failure of levees meant to protect against rising water levels. In some areas of the city, such as the Lower Ninth Ward, water reached heights of 15 feet, with many people trapped in houses on roofs, or in attics for days before rescue operations could reach them.
After Hurricane Katrina, investigations found that concerns about levee failures in New Orleans had already been raised years prior, with levees not able to withstand water levels far below their upper limit. As a result, more than $20 billion was spent on constructing 350 miles of levees and flood walls in the city to protect against any future hurricanes.
