THE 2005 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON
JUNE 1, 2005 -- NOVEMBER 30, 2005
THE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON BROKE MANY RECORDS
Forecasters exhausted their list of 21 proper names (Arlene, Bret, Cindy and so on) and had to use the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon) to name storms for the first time.
TROPICAL STORM EPSILON FORMED IN CENTRAL ATLANTIC ON 29 NOVEMBER
THE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON BROKE MANY RECORDS
In 154 years of record-keeping, 2005 had the most named storms (26, including Tropical Storm Epsilon, which formed Tuesday, November 29th), the most hurricanes (13), the highest number of major hurricanes hitting the U.S. (4), and the most top-scale Category 5 hurricanes (3).
THE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON BROKE MANY RECORDS
Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1928 (more than 1,300 dead) and replaced 1992’s Hurricane Andrew as the most expensive hurricane on record ($34.4 billion in insured losses).
THE 2005 HURRICANE SEASON BROKE MANY RECORDS
According to the Insurance Services Organization (ISO), total insured losses from hurricanes reached $47.2 billion in 2005, well above the previous record of $22.9 billion set in 2004 when four hurricanes also hit the U.S.
HURRICANE WILMA
HURRICANE WILMA BROKE RECORDS
Reaching 882 millibars, Hurricane Wilma became the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of minimum central pressure. When Wilma’s top sustained winds increased 180 km/hr (105 mi/hr) in 24 hours while moving through the Caribbean, it became the fasteststrengthening storm on record.
HURRICANE KATRINA
HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING
Hurricane Katrina inflicted the worst damage and societal impacts. Thousands of miles of the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida were impacted. In addition to New Orleans, cities in Mississippi such as Biloxi, Waveland, and Gulfport were smashed. Thousands were evacuated from Louisiana and dispersed throughout the USA.
HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING
Eighty percent of New Orleans was under water after its levees failed a day after Katrina made landfall, and again one week later as Rita passed through the Gulf enroute to landfall at the Texas-Louisiana border.
HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING
The world saw unprecedented misery in real time: Families stranded in attics, on roofs and bridges, Hungry and thirsty refugees stranded in the Superdome and Convention Center after wind and rain penetrated the Superdome’s roof. Lack of power, water, and sewage services exacerbating and slowing emergency operations at local, state, and Federal levels.
HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING
Bodies lay on streets for days or floated in the floodwaters. Eight functioning hospitals were reduced to two.
HURRICANE KATRINA WAS THE MOST DEVASTATING
Hundreds of thousands of people have yet to return to their homes in New Orleans, and many have no livable home to return to. Thousands of businesses were shut down. Public schools were closed down until November 28th. Many environmental and health care problems remain to be solved
HURRICANE DENNIS
HURRICANE RITA
WILMA, DENNIS, AND RITA WERE LESS DEVASTATING
Although Wilma, Dennis and Rita, the other hurricanes that hit the U.S., were not as deadly or destructive as Katrina, each one exposed weaknesses: There were 14-hour traffic jams as Houston and Galveston evacuated ahead of Rita. Wilma devastated Cancun and stranded 30,000 tourists, before flooding Havana, Cuba, and eventually knocking out power for days to more than 6 million people in Florida on Oct. 24.
RECOVERY FROM 2005 HURRICANE SEASON UNDERWAY
At present, Congress has approved $62 billion for mostly short-term relief aid. Estimates put the cost of rebuilding at $200 billion, or more over a ten-year period. The president has ordered the Homeland Security Department to review disaster plans for every major metropolitan area. 2005 is expected to be the NORM for hurricanes during the next decade.