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100 Years of Category 5+ Hurricanes in North America
Graphic Truth: 20 years since Katrina, Category 5 hurricane frequency is increasing
20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, killing nearly 1,400 people and destroying thousands of homes in the predominantly Black Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. While Katrina remains the costliest US storm in history at $200 billion, it is just one of the increasingly frequent category 5 hurricanes to hit North America over the last 50 years.
100 Years of Category 5+ Hurricanes in North America
Graphic Truth: 100 Years of Category 5+ Hurricanes in North America
Hurricane Erin intensified quickly over the weekend, becoming a Category 5 storm packing wind speeds of 160 miles per hour. As the week begins, Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, has dropped to Category 4 and is threatening the East Coast with high winds, heavy rains, and rough surf. If recent years are a measure of what’s to come, Erin could be the first of several major storms this season. Here’s a look at how the number of Category 5 hurricanes across North America has increased by 56% over the last 50 years.
US disaster politics surge in wake of two big hurricanes
Fewer than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the southeastern United States, killing at least 230 people and causing billions of dollars in damage, Hurricane Milton hit Florida late Wednesday, causing multiple deaths, destroying homes, and bringing with it tornadoes, waves approaching 30 feet, and a thousand-year flood in the St. Petersburg area. Over 3 million in the state are without power. Before Milton made landfall, experts estimated the storm could cause between $50 and $175 billion in damage, with insurers on the hook for up to $100 billion.
Meanwhile, the politics surrounding disaster relief has created a storm of its own. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to help GOP-led states, while Democrats have blasted Republicans for wanting to cut federal disaster aid funding overall.
The acrimony spilled into the presidential race too, as Donald Trump made disputed claims that President Joe Biden hadn’t taken calls from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose state was hit hard by Helene.
He also alleged, falsely, that his opponent, Kamala Harris, had spent “all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing illegal immigrants.”
Meanwhile, on Monday and Tuesday, Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had their own squabble — DeSantis said he had refused to take calls from the veep because they seemed like a political setup. She, in turn, called him “selfish.” Still, DeSantis on Thursday praised the Biden administration’s overall disaster response.
And yet, in the midst of all the sniping, the Biden administration and Republican Governor Kemp seemed to be working together productively enough on relief efforts, with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) doing its work on the ground while Biden visited Georgia and responded to requests to add counties to the disaster declaration list.
Is unity amid disaster possible?
Natural disasters are, ultimately, political: Preparations and the subsequent responses entail choices by politicians about money and resources, and the success or failure of plans can shape voters’ views of how competent, or not, their elected leaders are.
But as November’s presidential election looms, this kind of politicization is heightened.
Conor Frydenborg, an associate at Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate, and Resources practice, says, “There is nothing in modern-day American politics that cannot be politicized” and warns that this is a potential impediment to rallying and uniting in the face of disaster.
“If something like 9/11, something like Hurricane Katrina, were to happen now, we are dealing with an environment where we really don’t think people can come together.”
One agency that is often at the center of these battles is FEMA, the main federal institution responsible for disaster relief, which controls a budget of roughly $33 billion. Some Republicans and Democrats are at odds over FEMA funding. Dozens of GOP members are demanding cuts to the agency’s migrant assistance budget — which has nothing to do with emergency disaster relief funds — and many voted against a recent $20 billion stopgap funding bill, which passed Congress nonetheless.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which has been described as a right-wing “blueprint” for a possible Trump White House, calls for privatizing some of FEMA’s work and shifting the bulk of the preparedness and response burden to state and local governments. It also calls for funding cuts to federal disaster grants and for state and local governments to pick up a larger part of the tab for relief efforts.
But is all politics national?
The national-level squabbling can sometimes obscure what’s happening on the ground, says Frydenborg.
For instance, in Georgia, in the aftermath of Helene, the governor’s reaction indicated that local, state, and national governments were coordinating and working well together.
“I would strongly assume that is because the governor of Georgia is primarily concerned with serving the people of Georgia and making sure that the infrastructure in the state is working correctly and people are getting the care that they need,” he says.
“So, if you want to see positive government action, look at what the local levels and the state level are doing. I think that it’s generally a more positive picture.”
Graphic Truth: Hurricanes US and Canada
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be exceptionally active, with forecasts predicting 17-25 named storms, including 8-13 hurricanes and 4-7 major hurricanes. This surge in activity is driven by unusually warm Atlantic waters and El Niño conditions.
Hurricanes are becoming increasingly expensive for the US, with recent storms like Ian in 2022 and Ida in 2021 causing over $113 billion and $75 billion in damages, respectively. This trend is exacerbated by climate change, which intensifies storms and raises sea levels, amplifying coastal flooding.
Will the U.S. send nuclear bombs into hurricanes?
Should President Trump be worried about Joe Walsh's primary challenge?
Well no, not in the sense that he's going to lose to Walsh because he won't. Not even close. But it's certainly not helpful to have a former Trump-y conservative out there saying the president is totally unfit for office.
Will the House subpoena of Rob Porter mean anything?
I don't think it will change anything. I don't think the Democrats are closer to impeachment at this point. But Porter was potentially witness to alleged acts of obstruction of justice and it's good for Democrats to keep that story out there in the news.
Will the gun control talks go anywhere?
I don't think that they will. President Trump, as he has after previous attacks, is kind of all over the map on this, particularly on background checks. So I think the talks once again unfortunately fizzle out to nothing.
Final question: will the United States send nuclear bombs into hurricanes?
No, they won't. President Trump has denied he suggested this but I think the reporting is quite solid from Axios. But this is actually been looked at in the past and dismissed as a ridiculous and dangerous idea.