In 1999, Hurricane Floyd brought record flooding to the East Coast. Fifty of 56 deaths during Hurricane Floyd were direct results of inland flooding. That kind of threat remains with each approaching storm. Mayfield also advised people to follow evacuation orders or risk the dangers of storm surge . Storm surge from hurricanes brings the greatest potential for loss of life.
Experts warn residents of hurricane-prone states to heed evacuaton warnings.
Forecasting improvements and prompt evacuation orders in recent years have kept deaths from storm surge at a minimum, according to recent studies. Predicting three days ahead where a hurricane will strike the coast is subject to error by as much as 200 miles - half the error of 20 years ago. From 1970 to 1999, more than 600 Americans were killed in hurricanes and tropical storms. A study published by the American Meteorological Society found that 82 percent of those deaths were drownings and more than half occurred in inland counties and parishes. Storm surge accounted for only six fatalities.