On September 20, 2017 at approximately 6:15 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time Hurricane Maria made landfall in southeast Puerto Rico near the town of Yabucoa . Maria was listed as a strong Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 249 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour). The storm tracked across the center of the island, from southeast to northwest, and produced up to 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) of storm surge. The hurricane also dumped greater than 25 centimeters (9.8 inches) of rain over much of the island, with even higher amounts (50-101 centimeters, or 20-40 inches) in some areas, causing hundreds of landslides across Puerto Rico.
Tornado, Joplin, Missouri, 2011
The May 22, 2011, Joplin tornado, rated EF–5 on the Enhanced Fujita tornado intensity scale, caused 161 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries, making it the deadliest single tornado on record in the U.S. since official records were begun in 1950. The damage to the built environment made this the costliest tornado on record as well, with losses approaching $3 billion. The Joplin tornado damaged 553 business structures and nearly 7,500 residential structures; over 3,000 of those residences were heavily damaged or completely destroyed
More Studies:
- Tornado, Moore, Oklahoma, 2013
- Dallas Cowboys Indoor Practice Facility Collapse, 2009
- Hurricanes Katrina (August 29) and Rita (September 24), U.S. Gulf Coast, 2005
- Tornado, La Plata, Maryland, 2002
- Hurricanes Georges (Caribbean, September 21) and Mitch (Central America, October 26), 1998
- Tornadoes, Oklahoma, May 1999
- Tornado, Spencer, South Dakota, May 30, 1998
- Tornado, Jarrell, Texas, May 27, 1997
- Hurricane Fran, North Carolina, September 5-6, 1996
- Hurricane Marilyn, U.S. Virgin Islands, September 15-16, 1995
- Hurricane Andrew, South Florida and Louisiana, August 23–26, 1992
- Wind Damage in Washington, D.C. Area, 1975
- Tornado, Lubbock, Texas, May 11, 1970
- Hurricane Camille, MIississippi-Louisiana Gulf Coast, August 17, 1969
