Hurricane Impacts USGS Science Priorities

•	 Hurricane hazards include intense

wind, high waves, strong currents,

flooding, storm surge, tornadoes,

landslides, and coastal erosion.

•	 Storm surge, a dome of ocean water,

can exceed 20 feet in height and

extend along shore for 100 miles.

•	 Hurricanes can affect the Nation’s

energy supply; more than onefourth of U.S. crude oil production

is from the Gulf of Mexico.

•	 Hurricanes often leave an area more

vulnerable to subsequent storms.

•	 Develop ability to make near real-time

maps for emergency planning and

response

•	 Increase ability to record hurricane

impact and recovery of natural systems

•	 Use airborne and other remote sensing techniques with hurricane response

models to improve coastal mapping

and to predict where barrier islands and

evacuation routes will likely be severed

or washed over in an approaching hurricane

•	 Expand the network of near real-time

streamgages for flood forecasting

•	 Develop an ecological alert system

based on a hurricane’s potential to

spread wildlife diseases and invasive

species

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2005-3121

October 2005 Printed on recycled paper

The number of hurricanes expected to occur during a 100-year period based on historical 

data—light blue area, 20 to 40; dark blue area, 40 to 60; red area, more than 60. Map not to 

scale. Source: the National Atlas and the USGS

Hurricane Hazards—A National Threat

A Population in Jeopardy

Hurricanes bring destructive winds,

storm surge, torrential rain, flooding,

and tornadoes. A single storm can wreak

havoc on coastal and inland communities

and on natural areas over thousands of

square miles.

In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and

Wilma demonstrated the devastation that

hurricanes can inflict and the importance of hurricane hazards research and

preparedness.

More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and

this number is increasing. Many of these

areas, especially the Atlantic and Gulf

coasts, will be in the direct path of future

hurricanes. Hawaii is also vulnerable to

hurricanes.

Losing Land and Property

As seaside populations and development escalate, so does property damage

from hurricanes. Recent Atlantic hurricane seasons have been the costliest on

record, with losses of $42 billion in 2004

and in the hundreds of billions in 2005.

Research suggests that Americans

should brace for more of the same,

because the Atlantic basin is in an active

period that might persist for decades.

Hurricane Katrina caused billions of dollars in 

damage and killed hundreds in August 2005.

Hurricane potential in the United States and Puerto Rico 

USGS Science Helps Build Safer Communities
Hurricane Facts

•	 Hurricanes are revolving storms originating near the equator that are 

accompanied by torrential rain and wind speeds exceeding 74 mph.

•	 In the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, including Hawaii, these whirling storms

are called hurricanes. In the western Pacific, including East Asia and 

Australia, they are typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, they are cyclones.

•	 The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale expresses a hurricane’s strength by its

sustained wind speed—Category 1: 74-95 mph; Category 2: 96-110 mph;

Category 3: 111-130 mph; Category 4: 131-155 mph; Category 5: in excess of

155 mph. August and September are the peak months of the hurricane season,

which lasts from June 1 to November 30.

•	 Hurricanes can be as much as 400 miles wide.

•	 The 1938 New England hurricane was the costliest natural disaster of its time,

with about $3 billion in damage. Losses from Hurricane Hugo, which hit

South Carolina in 1989, were almost $11 billion. Hurricane Andrew in 1992

destroyed more than $20 billion in property. All figures are in 2005 dollars.

•	 The deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history was the 1900 Galveston 

hurricane, which took an estimated 8,000 lives. Six of the 10 costliest U.S.

disasters resulted from tropical weather systems.

Barrier islands and coastal wetlands

are the first line of defense for many

Atlantic and Gulf coast communities, and

many are rapidly eroding.

Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost

about 1,900 square miles of coastal land

from subsidence, inundation, and erosion

during hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina

eliminated more than 100 square miles

of wetlands protecting New Orleans. In

2004, Hurricane Ivan eroded Alabama’s

coast an average of 40 feet.

Coordinated Federal Efforts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is

responsible for forecasting, tracking, predicting the landfall of, and issuing warnings for hurricanes and tropical storms in

the United States and its territories to the

public, the media, and other government

agencies and authorities. Science to forecast hurricane impacts is a collaborative

effort among the U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS), NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, and others.

USGS Science Can Help

Before a hurricane makes landfall, the

USGS ensures that equipment along the

Gulf and Atlantic coasts is ready to monitor coastal change. A USGS network of

For More Information

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/hurricane/hurr2001.

htm/

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/

http://www.usgs.gov/

streamgages also reports real-time stream

flow to officials issuing flood warnings.

USGS geospatial databases and maps

assist pre-storm evacuation planning and

post-storm rescue and recovery.

Before and after major storms,

scientists survey habitats and document 

erosion on coasts and barrier islands by

using airborne and satellite imagery. The

USGS deploys amphibious aircraft to

conduct environmental assessments and

to aid emergency response.

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina,

the USGS used satellite and aerial

imagery to create maps linking 911 calls

to locations where people needed to be 

rescued. USGS scientists also assisted

Federal and State agencies by conducting

water quality and sediment testing to indicate the safety of water for human contact.

Scientists also complete ground surveys to help land managers with habitat

and wildlife impact assessments and to

secure scientific equipment in remote

field sites.

The USGS provides scientific

research and analyses that help the

public, policy makers, and the emergency

management community make informed

decisions on how to prepare for and react

to hurricane hazards and reduce losses

from future hurricanes.

These images are from New Orleans in the 

aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 

2005. (USGS photos)