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Federal Emergency Management Agency

National Hurricane Center

American Red Cross
Hurricane Awareness

Understanding Hurricanes

          A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that reach a constant speed of more than 74 miles per hour. Hurricanes blow in a marge spiral around a relative calm center known as the "eyee, which is generally 20 to 30 miles wide.
          As a hurricane nears land, it will bring high winds, torrential rains and storm surges. Hurricane-force winds can easily destroy poorly constructed buildings and mobile homes. Extensive damage to trees, towers, water and underground utility lines and fallen poles cause considerable disruption. Understanding hurricanes is essential to developing protective measures.
     The intensity of a landfalling hurricane is expressed in terms of categories that relate wind speeds and potential damage according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale :

Category 1 Hurricane
Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr). Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage.

Category 2 Hurricane
Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr). Storm surge gerenally 6-8 ft above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers.

Category 3 Hurricane
Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge gerenally 9-12 ft above normal. Some structural damage to residences and utility buildings with a minor curtain wall failures. Large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures, with larger structures damaged from floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more.

Category 4 Hurricane
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtain wall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Major damage to lower floors of structures near shore.

Category 5 Hurricane
Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blow down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Major destruction of most structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and catastrophic destruction of all structures within 500 yards the shoreline.

Information provided by :
FCN - Florida Construction News (Volume 13 - No. 3)



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