Reseach Paper on Hurricane Ike Essay Example

Reseach Paper on Hurricane Ike Essay Hurricane Ike hit the Texas Gulf coast on September 13, 2008 near Galveston, Texas. When Hurricane Ike hit it registered as a category 2 hurricane; however, before it hit land the storm went as high as a category 5 hurricane. Even though this hurricane was only a category 2 it still caused major damage. Hurricane Ike came ashore in Texas at 2:10 a. m. CDT, Sept. 13, and brought a wall of water over 13 feet high, sweeping through Galveston Island, and on the mainland. Ike made landfall with sustained winds near 110 mph, just 1 mph short of a Category 3 hurricane The effects of Hurricane Ike began to make their mark on Southeast Texas several days before the Hurricane made landfall. Actually before the National Weather Service had even issued Hurricane warnings for the communities of Southeast Texas the effects of the incoming storm were being felt. The incoming storm began to cause flooding from the storm surge. Two days before the hurricane made landfall, the waves were already topping the seawall in Galveston, Texas. We had so much surge that it caused the Bayous to fill and caused major flooding in small communities, for example my community of Labelle, Texas. There were also entire communities that were wiped out, with almost every house in the area totally demolished. In the community known as Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, is where there were many lives lost as well as total devastation. This is where many families, including my own, had beach cabins that were totally destroyed by the storm and storm surge. We will write a custom essay sample on Reseach Paper on Hurricane Ike specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Reseach Paper on Hurricane Ike specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Reseach Paper on Hurricane Ike specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The surge in this area actually started 2 days before the storm hit. In the area of Bolivar Peninsula there were around 150 people that had stayed behind and did not listen to the warnings of the upcoming storm. Sadly most of the 150 people that stayed behind became victims of the storm. Many people lost their lives trying to escape as the water began to rise. There were many cars found near a town called High Island the people were trying to make it to. In the cars they found people who had died while trying to make it to safety. Still to this day there are people who have not been accounted for, almost 3 years later. Ike was blamed for around 195 deaths. Of these, 74 were in Haiti. In the United States, 112 people were killed, and 23 are still missing. Due to its immense size, Ike caused devastation from the Louisiana coastline all the way to the Kenedy County, Texas Kenedy County is a county located in the U. S. state of Texas. It is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, its population was 414. Its seat is Sarita, and the county is named for Mifflin Kenedy, an early rancher in the area region near Corpus Christi, Texas. Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U. S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376 In addition, Ike caused flooding and significant damage along the Mississippi Mississippi is a U. S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, which namesake is from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi coastline and the Florida Panhandle. The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south Damages from Ike in U. S. oastal and inland areas are estimated at $29. 6 billion (2008 USD), with additional damage of $7. 3 billion in Cuba (the costliest storm ever in that country), $200 million in the Bahamas, and $500 million in the Turks and Caicos, amounting to a total of at least $37. 6 billion in damage. Ike was the third costliest Atlantic hurricane of all time, behind Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was the third most powerful hurricane to make landfall in the United States du ring the 20th century, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. f 1992 and Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall. of 2005. The hurricane also resulted in the largest evacuation of Texans in that states history. It became the largest search-and-rescue operation in U. S. history. Due to the intensity of the storm, Texas closed many of its chemical plants and oil refineries. Because much of the United States oil refining capacity is located in Texas, the closings caused a temporary increase in the prices of gasoline, home heating oil, and natural gas. Increases were particularly high in North Carolina Nort especially in the mountains, where average North Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the Southern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte prices were as much as 60 cents higher than the national average. The closing of refineries so soon after Hurricane Gustav, and the time required to restart production, also resulted in shortages of gasoline in such places as the Carolinas and Tennessee, partly as a result of panic buying. Preliminary post-storm damage estimates in the US were placed at 18 billion US dollars Panic buyin Panic buying is an imprecise common use term to describe the act of people buying unusually large amounts of a product in anticipation of or after a disaster or perceived disaster, or in anticipation of a large price increase or shortage, as can occur before a blizzard or hurricane or government 2008) as stated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Sadly there were many that did not listen to the warning of the upcoming storm due to a false evacuation just a few weeks before that of Hurricane Ike from another storm that missed the area. Many people did not believe that the storm was going to turn and that they would be safe. People, I believe, have learned fro m Hurricane Ike and realized that you need to take every evacuation serious and protect yourself and your family. Resources: http://coastal. er. usgs. gov/hurricanes/ike/post-storm-photos/index. php retrieved on June 15, 2011 http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/topics/Hurricane_Ike retrieved on June 15, 2011 http://www. nasa. gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2008/h2008_ike. html retrieved on June 15, 2011 The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as the ABC , is Australias national public broadcaster