Hurricane Georges
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHS) |
 |
| Hurricane Georges making landfall in Mississippi |
| Areas affected |
Southern Alabama |
| Date |
September 25 – September 30, 1998 |
| Highest winds |
- 105 mph (165 km/h) (1-minute sustained)
|
| Fatalities |
1 direct |
| Damage |
$201.3 million (1998 USD)
$271.8 million (2012 USD) |
| Part of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season |
The effects of Hurricane Georges in Alabama in 1998 included $201.3 million in damages and one fatality.
[edit] Background
Track of Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Georges began as a tropical wave off the coast of Africa in mid-September, 1998. Tracking towards the west, the wave spawned an area of low pressure two days later which quickly strengthened into a tropical depression. On September 16, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Georges and further to Hurricane Georges the next day. The storm reached its peak intensity on September 20 with winds of 155 mph (250 km/h), just below Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.[1]
Over the following five days, the hurricane tracked through the Greater Antilles, causing over 600 fatalities, mainly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. By September 25, Georges entered the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall three days later near Biloxi, Mississippi with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h). Shortly after landfall, the hurricane significantly slowed with forward motion reducing to a general drift towards the east. Georges dissipated on October 1 near the Atlantic coast of Florida.[1]
[edit] Preparations
[edit] Impact
Total rainfall in the United States from Georges
A home destroyed by Hurricane Georges
Upon making landfall, Georges brought a strong storm surge peaking at 11.9 feet (3.6 m) in Fort Morgan, along with 25 foot (7.6 m) waves on top of it.[1][2] While moving slowly through the state, it dropped torrential rainfall, peaking at 29.66 inches (75 cm) in Bay Minette. Outer squalls spawned tornadoes in the southeast portion of the state, though damage from them was minimal.[1] Along the coastline, heavy rainfall and strong waves caused extensive property damage. In Gulf Shores, for example, 251 houses, 16 apartment buildings, and 70 businesses experienced significant damage. On the barrier island, Dauphin Island, the hurricane destroyed 50 houses and left 40 uninhabitable.[3] Further inland, high winds downed power lines and trees, leaving 177,000 people without power after the storm.[2] 17 shelters housed 4,977 people in the aftermath of the storm. Damage to the buildings were minimal to non-existent, with the only direct effect from the hurricane being a brief interruption of electricity.[4]
Overall, damage in Alabama amounted to $125 million (1998 USD, $164 million 2009 USD). Freshwater flooding in Mobile resulted in one death, the only death in the United States.[1]
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
