Using 1900 as a starting point, here's a look at some of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes in the last 120 years in the US.
Most powerful hurricanes
Hurricane Camille, which landed on August 17, 1969 near Waveland, Mississippi, is the most powerful storm to strike the Gulf Coast. Camille is one of the four category(级别)-5 hurricanes ever to make a landing in the US, the others being the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Michael in 2018.
According to the National Weather Service, the actual wind speed of Hurricane Camille might be around 175 mph along the coast.
Until the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, Camille's more than 24-foot storm wave in Pass Christian, Mississippi, held the record. Katrina's storm wave along the Mississippi coast reached 30 feet.
Costliest hurricanes
Hurricane Katrina is not only the costliest-ever US hurricane but also the most expensive natural disaster in the country's history. Not only did it cost as many as 1,836 lives and leave millions of people homeless, but it also caused $ 160 billion in damages.
Katrina landed near the Gulf Coast on August 29,2005 as a category-3 storm. The hurricane's record-breaking waves flooded 80% of the city.
Deadliest hurricanes
The category-4 Hurricane Galveston made a surprising landing along the Texas coast on September 8,1900. It caused a 16-foot storm wave and its wind speed reached 150 mph.
A large part of the city of Galveston, Texas, was left in ruins. The number of death reached 12,000 on Galveston Island and the mainland. It remains the deadliest weather disaster in the US history as it gave the people no time to move out.
