The surge, aided by the hammering effect of breaking waves, acts like a giant bulldozer sweeping everything in its path. The stronger the hurricane, the higher the storm surge will be. This is unquestionably the most dangerous part of a hurricane. Nine out of ten hurricane fatalities are caused by the storm surge. During the infamous Hurricane Camille in 1969, a 25-foot storm surge inundated Pass Christian in Mississippi.
Lesser height are more usual but still extremely dangerous.
Many factors are involved in the formation and propagation of a storm surge such as the strength of the storm, bottom conditions where the surge comes ashore, and the point in the storm center in relation to the shore. Floods and flash floods brought by the torrential rains of a hurricane are dangerous killers. Even though hurricanes weaken rapidly as they move inland, the remnants of the storm can bring 6 to 12 inches of rain or more to the area it crosses. The resulting floods have caused great damage and loss of life. Hurricane Beulah of 1967 brought major floods to southern Texas killing 10 persons and causing millions of dollars damage.