Other Hurricanes 1780 Oct. 10–16, Barbados, West Indies:“The Great Hurricane of 1780” killed 20,000–22,000 people and completely flattened the islands of Barbados, Martinique, and St. Eustatius;it is the deadliest Western Hemisphere hurricane on record. 1926 Oct. 20, Cuba:powerful hurricane killed 650. 1930 Sept. 3, Dominican Republic:hurricane killed about 8,000 people. 1955 Sept. 19, Mexico:“Hilda” took 200 lives. Sept. 22–28, Caribbean:“Janet” killed 200 in Honduras and 300 in Mexico. 1961 Oct. 31, British Honduras:“Hattie” devastated capital of Belize, killing at least 400. 1963 Oct. 2–7, Caribbean:“Flora” killed about 7,200 in Haiti and Cuba. 1966 Sept. 24–30, Caribbean area:“Inez” killed 293. 1974 Sept. 14–19, Honduras:“Fifi” struck northern part of country, leaving 8,000 dead and 100,000 homeless. 1988 Sept. 12–17, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico:“Gilbert” took at least 260 lives and caused some 39 tornadoes in Tex. 1997 Oct. 8–10, southern Mexico:“Pauline” devastated resort city of Acapulco and villages along the coast in states of Oaxacaand Guerrero,leaving 217 dead and 20,000 homeless. 1998 Sept. 20–29, Caribbean, Fla. Keys, and Gulf Coast:“George” killed about 600 people, mostly in Dominican Republic. Damage estimated to be $5 billion, including $2 billion in Puerto Rico. Oct. 26–Nov. 4, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala:“Mitch” killed more than 14,500 people, becoming the deadliest Atlantic storm in 200 years. Two to three million people were left homeless; damages were more than $5 billion. 2004 Sept. 18, Haiti:Floods from tropical storm “Jeanne” killed more than 2,400 in Haiti and left 300,000 homeless. 2007 Aug. 13–23, Caribbean and Mexico:“Dean,” a category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 150 mph, took 32 lives and caused more than $200 million in damage. Aug. 31–Sept. 5, Caribbean, Nicaragua, and Honduras:“Felix,” a category 5 hurricane with winds reaching 150 mph, took at least 130 lives and left 70 others missing. 2008 Aug. 28–Sept. 2, Caribbean and Gulf Coast:"Gustav" killed at least 137 people and injured many more when it made landfall in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Thousands were left homeless and without food and water. In the U.S., "Gustav" forced the entire city of New Orleans to evacuate and left 26 people dead in three states. Sept. 7–8, Haiti, Cuba, Turks and Caicos islands:“Ike,” a category 2 hurricane with winds reaching 120 mph, took at least 61 lives in Haiti, left more than 80% of homes destroyed on Turks and Caicos islands, and caused four deaths and 800,000 people to evacuate their homes in Cuba. Nov. 8, Cuba:“Paloma,” a category 3 hurricane with winds reaching 120 mph, forced more than 300,000 people in Cuba to evacuate their homes and caused about $9.4 billion in damages.

U.S. Hurricanes Find data about the most intense and deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. Figures include U.S. deaths only, except where noted. Damages are actual cost in U.S. dollars, followed in parentheses by dollar figures adjusted to the year 2000.) 1776 Sept. 2–9, N.C. to Nova Scotia:called the “Hurricane of Independence,” it is believed that 4,170 in the U.S. and Canada died in the storm. 1856 Aug. 11, Last Island, La.:400 died. 1893 Aug. 28, Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., Sea Islands, S.C.:at least 1,000 died. 1900 Sept. 8, Galveston, Tex.:an estimated 6,000–8,000 died in hurricane and tidal surge. The “Galveston Hurricane” is considered the deadliest in U.S. history. 1909 Sept. 10–21, La. and Miss.:350 deaths. 1915 Aug. 5–23, Galveston, Tex., and New Orleans, La.:275 killed. 1919 Sept. 2–15, Fla. Keys, La., and southern Tex.:more than 600 killed, mostly lost on ships at sea. 1926 Sept. 11–22, southeast Fla. and Ala.:243 deaths. 1928 Sept. 6–20, Lake Okeechobee, southeast Fla.:1,836 deaths. Second-deadliest U.S. hurricane on record. 1935 Aug. 29–Sept. 10, Fla. Keys:“Labor Day Hurricane”; 408 deaths. 1938 Sept. 10–22, Long Island, N.Y., and southern New England:“New England Hurricane”; 600 deaths. 1944 Sept. 9–16, N.C. to New England:390 deaths, 344 of which were at sea. 1947 Sept. 4–21, southeast Fla., La., Miss., Ala.:51 killed. 1954 Aug. 25–31, N.C. to New England:“Carol” killed 60 in Long Island–New England area. Oct. 5–18, S.C. to N.Y.:“Hazel” killed 95 in U.S.; about 400–1,000 in Haiti; 78 in Canada. 1955 Aug. 7–21, N.C. to New England:“Diane” took 184 lives and cost $8.3 million ($5.5 billion). 1957 June 25–28, southwest La. and northern Tex.:“Audrey” wiped out Cameron, La., causing 390 deaths. 1960 Aug. 29–Sept. 13, Fla. to New England:“Donna” killed 50 in the U.S.; 115 deaths in Antilles. 1961 Sept. 3–15, Tex. coast:“Carla” devastated Tex. gulf cities, taking 46 lives. 1965 Aug. 27–Sept. 12, southern Fla. and La.:“Betsy” killed 75 and cost more than $1.4 ($8.5) billion. 1969 Aug. 14–22, Miss., La., Ala., Va., and W. Va.:256 killed as a result of “Camille.” Damages estimated at $1.4 ($6.9) billion. 1972 June 14–23, northwest Fla. to N.Y.:“Agnes” caused widespread flash floods killing 117 (50 in Pa). Damages estimated at over $2.1 ($8.6) billion. Still the worst natural disaster ever in Pa. 1979 Aug. 25–Sept. 7, Caribbean to New England:“David” caused five U.S. deaths; 1,200 in the Dominican Republic. Aug. 29–Sept. 15, Ala. and Miss.:“Frederic” devastated Mobile, Ala., and caused $2.3 ($4.9) billion in damage overall. 1980 Aug. 3–10, Caribbean to Tex. Gulf:“Allen” killed 28 in U.S.; over 200 in Caribbean. 1983 Aug. 15–21, Galveston and Houston, Tex.:“Alicia” caused 21 deaths and $2 ($3.4) billion in damages. 1985 Oct. 6–Nov. 1, La. southeast U.S.:“Juan,” a Category 1 hurricane, caused severe flooding and $1.5 ($2.4) billion in damages; 63 people died. 1989 Sept. 10–22, Caribbean Sea, S.C., and N.C.:“Hugo” claimed 86 lives (57 U.S. mainland) and damages estimated over $7 ($9.7) billion. 1991 Oct. 30–Nov. 1, Eastern Atlantic seaboard:an unnamed hurricane labeled the “perfect storm” caused extensive erosion and flooding along the Atlantic seaboard and created 39-foot waves. 1992 Aug. 22–26, Bahamas, southern Fla., and La.:Hurricane “Andrew” left 26 dead and more than 100,000 homes destroyed or damaged. Total U.S. damages estimated at $26.5 ($34.9) billion. 1994 Nov. 8–21, Caribbean and southern Fla.:“Gordon” led to an estimated 1,122 deaths in Haiti. Eight died in Fla. 1995 Nov. 29, Fla. Panhandle and Ala.:storm surge during “Opal” caused extensive damage to coastal areas; nine U.S. deaths and damages of $3 ($3.5) billion. 1996 Sept. 5, N.C. and Va.:“Fran” took 37 lives and caused more than $3.2 ($3.6) billion in damage. 1999 Sept. 14–18, Bahamas to New England:“Floyd” and associated flooding caused at least 57 deaths. Damage estimated at $4.5 ($4.6) billion. 2001 June 8–15, Gulf Coast to southern New England:tropical storm “Allison” caused severe flooding, damage estimated at $5 billion (actual cost); 41 deaths. 2003 Sept. 18, N.C. and Va.:“Isabel” took 50 lives and caused more than $3.7 billion in damage. 2004 Aug. 13–Sept. 26, Fla., Ala., and southern U.S.:Four major hurricanes hit Fla. in 6 weeks. “Charley,” on Aug. 13, a Category 4 hurricane, killed 34; “Frances,” on Sept. 5, killed 48. “Ivan” swept from Grenada to Ala. and Fla. on Sept. 16, killing 57 in the U.S. and 66 in the Caribbean. “Jeanne,” on Sept. 26, flooded Fla. again, killing 28. Total U.S. damages from the 4 hurricanes estimated to exceed $35 billion.

Cyclones 1864 Oct. 5, Calcutta, India:70,000 killed. 1942 Oct. 16, Bengal, India:about 40,000 lives lost. 1960 Oct. 10, East Pakistan:cyclone and tidal wave killed about 6,000. 1963 May 28–29, East Pakistan:cyclone killed about 22,000 along coast. 1965 May 11–12 and June 1–2, East Pakistan:cyclones killed about 47,000. Dec. 15, Karachi, Pakistan:about 10,000 killed. 1970 Nov. 12–13, East Pakistan:cyclone and tidal waves killed 200,000 and another 100,000 were reported missing. 1971 Sept. 29, Orissa state, India:cyclone and tidal wave killed as many as 10,000 off the Bay of Bengal. 1974 Dec. 25, Darwin, Australia:cyclone destroyed nearly the entire city; 50 reported dead. 1977 Nov. 19, Andhra Pradesh, India:cyclone and tidal wave claimed lives of 20,000. 1991 April 30, southeast Bangladesh:cyclone killed over 131,000 and left up to 9 million homeless. Thousands of survivors died from hunger and water-borne disease. 1999 Oct. 29, Orissa state, India:supercyclone swept in from Bay of Bengal, killing at least 9,573 and leaving over 10 million homeless. 2004 March 8, Antalaha, Madagascar:Cyclone Gafilo, with winds of 160 mph and heavy rains, leaves hundreds of thousands homeless and killed 295 people. More than 100 were on a ferry that sank off the island of Comoros. 2007 November 15, southern Bangladesh:Cyclone Sidr, with winds over 100 miles per hour, kills nearly 3,500 people in southern Bangladesh. The United Nations reports that a million people are left homeless. 2008 May 3, Myanmar:Cyclone Nargis hits the Irrawaddy Delta and the city of Yangon, killing at least 22,500 people— 41,000 more are still missing. Most of the deaths and destruction were caused by a 12-foot high tidal wave that formed during the storm.

Floods, Avalanches, and Tidal Waves 1228 Holland:100,000 people reputedly drowned by sea flood in Friesland. 1642 China:rebels destroyed Kaifengseawall; 300,000 drowned. 1889 May 31, Johnstown, Pa.:more than 2,200 died in flood after South Fork Dam collapsed. 1910 March 1, Wellington, Wash.:avalanche in Cascade Range swept 2 trains into canyon, killing 96. Worst U.S. avalanche. 1903 June 14, Willow Creek, Ore.:Flash floods swept away town of Heppner, killing more than 240. 1913 March–April, Ohio:Statewide flooding of rivers killed at least 428. 1928 March 12, Santa Paula, Calif.:collapse of St. Francis Dam left 450 dead. 1931 July–Aug., China:flood along Yangtze River left 3.7 million people dead from disease, starvation, or drowning. 1953 Jan. 31–Feb. 5, northwest Europe:storm followed by floods devastated North Seacoastal areas. Netherlands hit hardest; 1,794 dead. 1954 Aug., Teheran, Iran:flood rains resulted in some 10,000 deaths. 1959 Dec. 2, Fréjus, France:flood caused by collapse of Malpasset Dam left 412 dead. 1962 Jan. 10, Peru:avalanche down extinct Huascaranvolcano killed more than 3,000. 1963 Oct. 9, Italy:landslide into the Vaiont Dam;flood killed about 2,000. 1966 Oct. 21, Aberfan, Wales:avalanche of coal, waste, mud, and rocks killed 144 people, including 116 children in school. 1969 Jan. 18–26, southern Calif.:floods and mudslides from heavy rains caused widespread property damage; at least 100 dead. Another downpour (Feb. 23–26) caused further floods and mudslides; at least 18 dead. 1970 Nov. 13, East Pakistan:200,000 killed by cyclone-driven tidal wave from Bay of Bengal.Over 100,000 missing. 1971 Aug., Hanoi, North Vietnam:heavy rains flooded the Red River Delta, killing 100,000. 1972 Feb. 26, Man, W. Va.:a slag-pile dam collapsed under pressure of torrential rains, flooding 17-mi valley, killing more than 118. June 9–10, Rapid City, S.D.:flash flood caused 237 deaths and $160 million in damage. 1975 Aug. 5, Yangtze River, China:63 dams failed, killing an estimated 80,000 to 200,000 people from floods and subsequent famine. The Chinese government never acknowledged the event. 1976 Aug. 1, Loveland, Colo.:flash flood along Route 34 in Big Thompson Canyon left 139 dead. 1988 Aug.–Sept., Bangladesh:heaviest monsoon in 70 years killed more than 1,300. Floods inundated three-fourths of country, leaving 30 million homeless and damages estimated over $1 billion. 1993 June–Aug., Ill., Iowa, Kan., Ky., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D., Wis.:flooding of the Mississippi River and tributaries caused 50 deaths and about $12 billion in damage. Almost 70,000 left homeless. 1997 Dec. 1996–Jan. 1997, U.S. West Coast:torrential rains and snowmelt produced severe floods in parts of Calif., Ore., Wash., Idaho, Nev., and Mont., causing 36 deaths and about $2–3 billion in damage. March, Ohio and Mississippi Valleys:flooding and tornadoes plagued Ark., Mo., Miss., Tenn., Ill., Ind., Ky., Ohio, and W.Va. 67 were killed and damage totaled approximately $1 billion. April, N.D., S.D., and Minn.:Grand Forks, N.D., and surrounding area devastated as the Red River swelled 13 ft above flood level. Eleven deaths were recorded. Summer, central and northeast China:heavy flooding of Yangtze Riverkilled more than 3,000 and left 14 million homeless. Estimated damages exceeded $20 billion. 1999 Summer, Asia:torrential downpours and flooding left more than 950 dead and millions homeless in S. Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. Oct., southwest Mexico:heavy rains killed at least 360 people in mudslides and flood waters. Nov. and Dec., Vietnam:devastating floods caused $285 million in damage and killed more than 700 people. Dec. 15–16, northern Venezuela:heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides, killing an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 people. Country's worst modern-day natural disaster. 2000 Feb., southeast Africa:weeks of rain resulted in deadly floods in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, killing more than 700 people and leaving 280,000 homeless. mid-September, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam:rising flood waters from the Mekong Riverand its tributaries destroyed crops and livestock and left at least 235 people dead and 4.5 million homeless. Damages were estimated at $50 million in Cambodia and $24 million in Thailand. 2002 Sept. 20, Karmadon Gorge, North Ossetia, Russia:an avalanche caused by a 500-ft chunk of glacier left 150 people dead. June–Aug., Asia:annual monsoons caused record floods and more than 2,000 deaths in China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.t5 Aug., Europe:record flooding across central and eastern Europe killed 108 people and caused billions of dollars of extensive infrastructure damage and deforestation.

Major U.S. Epidemics 1793 Philadelphia:more than 4,000 residents died from yellow fever. 1832 July–Aug., New York City:over 3,000 people killed in a choleraepidemic. Oct., New Orleans:cholera took the lives of 4,340 people. 1848 New York City:more than 5,000 deaths caused by cholera. 1853 New Orleans:yellow fever killed 7,790. 1867 New Orleans:3,093 perished from yellow fever. 1878 Southern states:over 13,000 people died from yellow fever in lower Mississippi Valley. 1916 Nationwide:over 7,000 deaths occurred and 27,363 cases were reported of polio(infantile paralysis) in America's worst polio epidemic. 1918 March–Nov., nationwide:outbreak of Spanish influenza killed over 500,000 people in the worst single U.S. epidemic. 1949 Nationwide:2,720 deaths occurred from polio, and 42,173 cases were reported. 1952 Nationwide:polio killed 3,300; 57,628 cases reported. 1981–Dec. 2005: Total estimated U.S. AIDS cases: 988,376; total estimated AIDS deaths: 550,394 (Centers for Disease Control). 2009 In April, H1N1, also known as Swine Flu, breaks out and quickly spreads to more than 70 countries. The Centers for Disease Control reports that between April and October, 22 million Americans had contracted the virus, 98,000 required hospitalization, and about 3,900 people died from H1N1-related causes.