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Why is it that hurricanes with female names are usually the worst ones?
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Because between 1953 (when the National Weather Service started naming the storms) and 1979, only female names were used. Since then, it's roughly a 50/50 mix of both genders. For one reason or another, the starting letters of Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used, leaving a list of 21 possible names for each year. There are six lists altogether, and they repeat the cycle at the end of each six year period. The pisser is, if a storm is particularly devastating and produces multiple casualties, only then is the name is retired (like Andrew in 1992).
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen HawkingComment
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That may be a perception, yet it is statistically untrue, at least according to my local paper (reprinted in the Chicago Tribune).
'Male' hurricanes pack a deadlier wallop, statistics show
By Ken Kaye South Florida Sun-Sentinel
When it comes to hurricanes, boys hit harder than girls.
Since 1979, when the National Hurricane Center began alternating male and female storm names, Atlantic hurricanes with male monikers have caused four times as much damage: $13 billion for the six costliest female storms compared to $53 billion for the six costliest male storms.
In the same period, five storms with male names left more than 11,800 people dead, while the 58 hurricanes with female names killed less than 100. The difference is even more dramatic when one considers that in the past five decades, the 10 deadliest female storms have claimed 1,316 victims.
The National Hurricane Center says despite their names, hurricanes really should not be considered male or female because all are constructed the same.
"It's really a gender neutral situation," said research meteorologist Colin McAdie, who stressed there is no correlation between a hurricane's name and its destructive power.
"Any meteorologist will tell you it's really luck of the draw. That's really the message here," he said.
The hurricane center, based in Miami-Dade County, started giving storms female names in 1953.
In 1979, to be politically correct, the center alternated male names. All the names are kept on lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization.
"The whole idea of names was just to give people something easy to identify rather than a string of letters or numbers," McAdie said.
Weather observers say female-named storms would seem to be more punishing because they have been around longer.
For example, Hurricane Audrey left 390 dead along the Louisiana and Texas coasts in 1957.
Hurricane Camille, the most powerful storm to ever hit the U.S. shoreline, a Category 5 packing 180-mph winds, killed 256 people in Mississippi and Louisiana in 1969. Hurricane Donna killed 50 people along the eastern seaboard in 1960, and Hurricane Betsy left 75 people dead in Florida and Louisiana in 1965.
"We had only female-named storms for such a long time, and it was only recently that we brought male names into the program," said Bill O'Brien, emergency management director of Palm Beach County. "You'd have to think the cumulative total would be heavy on the female side."
However, all of the deadly female tempests combined pale in comparison to the death toll of 1998's Hurricane Mitch, which left about 10,000 dead, mainly in Honduras and Nicaragua.
Another male storm, Hurricane Gordon, left 1,122 dead in Haiti in 1995. That toll equals the six deadliest female storms combined.
Then there was Hurricane Andrew, which is the major reason male-named storms have been much more costly than female storms. Andrew virtually destroyed south Miami-Dade County in 1992, causing $30.4 billion in damages.
Another powerful storm, Hurricane Hugo, slammed Charleston, S.C., causing nearly $8.5 billion in damages in 1989.
In the past four decades, the most costly female-named storm was Hurricane Agnes, which caused $7.5 billion in damages when it hit Florida and the East Coast in 1972. Betsy left $7.4 billion in damages in 1965, and Camille followed with $6 billion in damages in 1969. The dollar figures have been adjusted to reflect 1996 dollars, hurricane officials say.
McAdie said a Mitch or an Andrew shows that all it takes is one particularly devastating event to weight the tables in favor of a male or female hurricane.
"It's a matter of chance in the way of naming storms," he said.
For that reason, he speculated that if he were able to tally all hurricanes through history, the death and damage tolls would be even, assuming they all had a male or female name.
For example, there were several deadly hurricanes in the early 1900s, prior to names. In 1900, a Category 4 storm hit Galveston, Texas, and may have killed as many as 12,000 people. In 1928, a hurricane roared over southeast Florida and killed 1,836 around Lake Okeechobee.
Emergency managers say it doesn't matter if a hurricane has a male or female name. They take all of them extremely seriously.
"We're an equal opportunity organization," said O'Brien.Last edited by chefcraig; 08-25-2011, 07:55 PM.
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen HawkingComment
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The article left out one of the worst hurricanes ever, Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in US history, and one of the five deadliest hurricanes, causing $81 billion (in 2005 dollars) in damage and killing 1,836 people. There was also Rita, the fourth most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic and the most intense ever in the Gulf of Mexico, causing $11.3 billion in damages, and Wilma, the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, causing $29.1 billion (in 2005 dollars) and killing 62 people. Those three, alone, are three of the most powerful hurricanes, ever.Last edited by Little Texan; 08-25-2011, 08:31 PM.Comment
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“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen HawkingComment
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Eirene
Eirene is "peace" - "U.S." force is "terrorizing" the East Coast of America, willing to risk lives or kill, destroy land and property, homes and well-being. It is "weather-manipulation" from groups "using" satellites with beam technology heating cool atmosphere, "U.S." force murderers that build cloud-mass and then "artificially" generate what appears as "hurricane" force. It's not "hurricane" or "Mother Nature" - 'Meister, you write like a "tool" with your quoting data that is, in fact, "disinformation" - or - are you ignorant? Why "deceive" the people? Be true.
Such is PULSE-WEATHER, "pulse" energy beamed from technology "used" for "war" against people, the people of the United States of America, "war-technology" similar to bombs, guns, tanks, planes, chemicals, biological agents, each "used" by "U.S. military" to "WREAK HAVOC" - in 2008, their "Ike" (a "U.S. military" name and clue) was sent hitting Galveston, Houston, and surrounding areas, wave-vibration so rough it was like the sky was boiling water, huge tall pines and oaks swinging, massive sway, and before that was 2005 when New Orleans was hit, unnatural pulse-weather from "U.S." force "manipulating" and "terrorizing" anyone (and then Houston, "terrorized" with massive pulse-weather sent entering the Gulf of Mexico), and before that, Florida, in 2004, hit twice with pulse-weather "hurricanes" slamming, with two others near - four pulse-weather "hurricanes" that came after "U.S. military" display of force with it's war-ships, wishing media coverage, called "Summer Pulse '04." It's "military" terminology, it's "war" technology," and unnecessary.
Their "Federal Emergency Management Agency," then, is sent into "devastated" areas to look like "U.S." force is helping when, in fact, it has caused such "destruction" - "destructive" pattern repeated "over" and "over" and such that follows their previous "hit" in 2001 with "U.S." planes hitting the "World Trade Center" towers, a "planned" thing with "manual" pictures to prove it.
Has "U.S. military" thought of "sending 27 ships" while it goes on "scaring the living shit our of everyone?" That is it's purpose, to show it's force, "SHOCK" - "Controlled Conflict Operations" - bringing minds from realizing what is occurring with it's "war" and "theft" and "lying" and "killing" (and from realizing foremost reality of existing beings visiting this planet, beings that have been called "extraterrestrial" - beings having their own energy state ships travelling the waves of space and etheric vibration, dimension, time).
"Enjoy" the "party" - yeah? It's nothing like the reality, truth of what is occurring with our planet and around our planet. You haven't seen The Real Show, bro' - beings with ships above your house, with visitation, with your being welcome aboard, with understanding that many forms of being exist.
Rise above - "U.S." force "blames" others for what it is doing, "Mother Nature" or "female" people. "Katrina" did not "attack" the land of America, "U.S." force did - or does. Then we read TNHC, "..all are constructed the same." Correct. "Weather-manipulation" that is "construct" and "technology-based" operation, truth reveals itself, from minds, hearts, that overflow.Last edited by Tob; 08-26-2011, 12:59 AM.Comment
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Can't Control your Future. Can't Control your Friends. The women start to hike their skirts up. I didn't have a clue. That is when I kinda learned how to smile a lot. One Two Three Fouir fun ter thehr fuur.Comment
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Here are the latest developments:
[9:01 a.m. ET] President Barack Obama will deliver a statement on Hurricane Irene at 1130 a.m. this morning from his vacation home in Martha's Vineyard
I'm sure everyone will tune into that.
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'Meister, you are a "tool" - or - you are one "college" kid, shy of maturity, yet working your way to such? "Ford" - is that you?
HEAVEN COMIN' ATCHA LIKE HELL OF THE GOOD TIME,
FRISBEES FLYIN', MONUMENTS ON MARS,
ANGELS, E.T., THE HIGHER WE CLIMBComment
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I would tune in to see the tidal surge wisk Obama out to sea. That would be worth watching.No! You can't have the keys to the wine cellar!Comment
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One illustration was of two "U.S." war-ships shown with beam energy rising from each ship and meeting in center, in the air.. could this, also, involve such pulse-weather? "27 ships," then? "Summer Pulse, '04," too..
Also, their "Weather Channel" then reports it's "state" of "emergency" being "declared" - such was occurring with George, time after time, after each "U.S. military" pulse-weather "hit" that appeared as "hurricane" force within his "presidency" (he and Obama "declare" such "state" of "emergency" with, then, a "Federal Emergency Management Agency" moving in, maybe, or is it "national emergency" - "tricky" with their "fear" promulgation).. another "scheme" thing?
Responsible? Is such letting go of real, true responsibility?Comment
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Why is it that this board seems to draw in all the crazies and mental defectives of the world like a huge magnet?Comment
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