Disasters caused by human error — oil spills, bridge collapses, forest fires ignited by a carelessly discarded cigarette — can be devastating, but natural disasters are often even worse. They make us feel helpless in the face of mother nature’s wrath.
Water, in the form of floods and tsunamis, can destroy both life and livelihood. Snow avalanches and mudslides can be an instrument of death and destruction. And earthquakes can wreck cities and their people.
Then there are hurricanes — unpredictable and capricious forces that can assault us in many ways at once, flattening our homes, drowning our crop fields, ripping trees from the ground, robbing us of electricity and drinking water.
A hurricane is a large, swirling tropical storm, with wind speeds than can exceed 150 miles an hour. Either from personal experience or from the visceral imagery provided by national news outlets, most Americans are familiar with the results of these savage tempests: boats overturned and smashed together, cars and trucks picked up and dropped upside down miles away, city streets filled with shattered glass or turned into torrential rivers, rural villages razed into piles of sticks, and so on.
Sometimes, the devastation is so vast that we nearly forget what the places looked like before they were struck by major hurricanes. That is why 24/7 Wall St. has collected before-and-after images depicting the horrific effects of some of the worst hurricanes to strike the United States in recent history. We reviewed information from the National Hurricane Center on 18 major hurricanes since 2000 that caused at least $3 billion in damages.
Regard the peaceful scenes of life in normal weather, then the aftermaths of these violent superstorms, and remember how punishing the natural world can be.
Click here for before and after pictures of the worst hurricanes in American history.
Before
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
After
Source: Louisiana GOHSEP / Wikimedia Commons
15. Isaac
> Damage: $3.02 billion
> Area pictured: Grand Isle, Louisiana
> Max wind speed at landfall: 70 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2012
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Before
Source: Andyminicooper / Wikimedia Commons
After
Source: Public Domain via PA3 Robert M. Reed / Wikimedia Commons
14. Dennis
> Damage: $3.20 billion
> Area pictured: Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana
> Max wind speed at landfall: 120 mph
> Date of landfall: July 2005
Before
Source: studioimagen / iStock
After
Source: au_tiger01 from Mobile, Alabama, United States / Wikimedia Commons
13. Gustav
> Damage: $6.96 billion
> Area pictured: Mississippi
> Max wind speed at landfall: 135 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2008
Before
Source: U.S. Geological Survey / Wikimedia Commons
After
Source: U.S. Geological Survey / Wikimedia Commons
12. Isabel
> Damage: $7.37 billion
> Area pictured: Hatters Island, North Carolina
> Max wind speed at landfall: 90 mph
> Date of landfall: September 2003
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Before
Source: Ken Badgley / iStock
After
Source: gsagi / Getty Images
11. Matthew
> Damage: $10.30 billion
> Area pictured: North Carolina
> Max wind speed at landfall: 130 mph
> Date of landfall: October 2016
Before
Source: Joe Raedle / Newsmakers / Getty Images
After
Source: Harris County Flood Control District
10. Allison
> Damage: $11.82 billion
> Area pictured: Houston, Texas
> Max wind speed at landfall: 45 mph
> Date of landfall: June 2001
24/7 Wall St.Before
Source: FEMA
After
Source: FEMA
9. Irene
> Damage: $14.98 billion
> Area pictured: Pine Island, New York
> Max wind speed at landfall: 100 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2011
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Before
Source: Andy Newman / Florida Keys News Bureau / Getty Images
After
Source: 8632225@N08 / Flickr
8. Charley
> Damage: $21.12 billion
> Area pictured: Key West, Florida
> Max wind speed at landfall: 130 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2004
Before
Source: NOAA
After
Source: NOAA
7. Rita
> Damage: $23.68 billion
> Area pictured: Holly Beach, Louisiana
> Max wind speed at landfall: 100 mph
> Date of landfall: September 2005
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Before
Source: Josh Ritchie / Getty Images
After
Source: Averette (Marc Averette) / Wikimedia Commons
6. Wilma
> Damage: $24.32 billion
> Area pictured: Florida Keys
> Max wind speed at landfall: 130 mph
> Date of landfall: October 2005
Before
Source: NASA Earth Observatory
After
Source: NASA Earth Observatory
5. Ivan
> Damage: $27.06 billion
> Area pictured: Pensacola, Florida
> Max wind speed at landfall: 105 mph
> Date of landfall: September 2004
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Before
Source: felixmizioznikov / iStock
After
Source: Matt McClain -Pool / Getty Images
4. Irma
> Damage: $50.00 billion
> Area pictured: Florida Keys
> Max wind speed at landfall: 155 mph
> Date of landfall: September 2017
Before
Source: Kirkikis / Getty Images
After
Source: seclemens / Getty Images
3. Sandy
> Damage: $70.20 billion
> Area pictured: Seaside Heights, New Jersey
> Max wind speed at landfall: 100 mph
> Date of landfall: October 2012
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Before
Source: Scott Halleran / Getty Images
After
Source: Win McNamee / Getty Images
2. Harvey
> Damage: $125.00 billion
> Area pictured: Houston, Texas
> Max wind speed at landfall: 115 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2017
24/7 Wall St.Before
Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images
After
Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images
1. Katrina
> Damage: $160.00 billion
> Area pictured: New Orleans, Louisiana
> Max wind speed at landfall: 110 mph
> Date of landfall: August 2005
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