Current:Home > NewsMore deadly than wind, storm surge from Hurricane Helene could be devastating -NextFrontier Finance
More deadly than wind, storm surge from Hurricane Helene could be devastating
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:08:04
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — In 2005, Hurricane Dennis landed near the Alabama-Florida state line as a Category 3 hurricane. Far to the east, Florida’s Big Bend — where Hurricane Helene is expected to come ashore — never even felt tropical storm strength winds, but it was still hit with a mass of water that devasted coastal communities.
That’s storm surge. It’s more deadly and destructive than wind and can make a significant impact far from the center of a storm..
The most common way to measure a hurricane’s strength is the Saffir-Simpson Scale that assigns a category from 1 to 5 based on a storm’s sustained wind speed at its center, with 5 being the strongest. But that only tells part of the story.
While wind can tear off roofs, knock down trees and snap power lines, storm surge can push buildings completely off their foundations, can trap and even drown people in their homes, wash out roads and bridges, toss boats inland and hammer anything in its path.
“The leading cause of death from hurricanes is water, not wind,” said Craig Fugate, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who previously ran Florida’s emergency management.
And in the case of Hurricane Helene, predicted storm surge could be devastating in the coastal areas of the state’s Big Bend, where the peninsula meets the Panhandle. Forecasters say surge could be between 15 and 20 feet (4.5 to 6 meters).
What is storm surge?
Storm surge is the level at which sea water rises above its normal level.
Much like the way a storm’s sustained winds do not include the potential for even stronger gusts, storm surge doesn’t include the wave height above the mean water level.
Surge is also the amount above what the normal tide is at a time, so a 15-foot storm surge at high tide can be far more devastating than the same surge at low tide.
How does the potential storm surge during Helene compare to past storms?
Hurricane Katrina is largely remembered for causing flooding in New Orleans. That wasn’t from storm surge, but rather the failure of levees protecting the city.
But further east, Mississippi was devastated by up to 28 feet (8.5 meters) of surge. Afterward, parts of the Mississippi coast looked as if someone took heavy equipment and cleared out everything within 300 yards (274 meters) of the shore, Fugate said.
“It took the gambling casino boats and put them on the other side of the road. The Waffle Houses were nothing but slabs,” Fugate said. “That kind of devastation is what they’re going to see in the Big Bend.’
Florida’s Big Bend is sparsely populated compared to other parts of Florida’s coast.
“Fortunately, the populations are much smaller, but it doesn’t mean the devastation to those areas won’t be extreme. I’m thinking about little towns like Panacea. I’m not sure what’s going to be left after this,” Fugate said.
Why is Florida’s Big Bend more prone to storm surge?
The Gulf Coast overall is much shallower than the Atlantic Coast, and even more so in the Big Bend. If you place a fan in front of a shallow baking tray filled with water, it’s going to scatter it much more easily on the kitchen counter than if you put a deep mixing bowl full of water in front of the same fan.
And because of the geography of the Big Bend, the water can’t spread out along the coast as it would in other areas.
“That is very shallow water. Because of the bend, there’s nowhere for the water really to go. It just piles up and moves inland,” Fugate said. “If people haven’t gotten out, it’s going to be bad.”
He noted many of the coastal communities in the area have one road in and out, and once those roads are flooded, people who don’t evacuate will be stuck until the storm passes and flooding recedes.
“Most of the roads down there are going to be underwater, even if (first responders) could, they’re not going to get down there,” Fugate said. “During the storm, there won’t be anybody able to get out there and rescue people.”
veryGood! (99)
Related
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Covenant school shooter's writings won't be released publicly, judge rules
- Man charged after giving a child fireworks that set 2 homes on fire, police say
- Small plane with 3 on board makes emergency landing on Nevada highway. No one is hurt
- Vance jokes he’s checking out his future VP plane while overlapping with Harris at Wisconsin airport
- Inside Naya Rivera's Incredibly Full Life and the Legacy She Leaves Behind
- A green flag for clean power: NASCAR to unveil its first electric racecar
- Two boys shot in a McDonald’s in New York City
- USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
- Phillies 3B Alec Bohm becomes first NL player to commit to 2024 MLB Home Run Derby
Ranking
- Breaking debut in Olympics raises question: Are breakers artists or athletes?
- 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award rankings by odds
- New parents in Baltimore could get $1,000 if voters approve ‘baby bonus’ initiative
- Biden assails Project 2025, a plan to transform government, and Trump’s claim to be unaware of it
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- Watch this 100-year-old World War II veteran marry his 96-year-old bride in Normandy
- An Alaska tourist spot will vote whether to ban cruise ships on Saturdays to give locals a break
- Never-before-seen Pontiac G8 concept hints at alternate universe awesomeness
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Stock market today: Asian stocks mostly fall, Euro drop on French election outcome
Fiery railcars with hazardous material mostly contained after derailment in North Dakota
Horoscopes Today, July 6, 2024
Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
National Urban League honors 4 Black women for their community impact
Watch aggressive cat transform into gentle guardian after her owner had a baby
Michigan friends recount the extraordinary moment they rescued a choking raccoon