Hurricane Wilma :: essays research papers

Damage Hurricane Wilma is the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. The atmospheric pressure was 882 millibars on Wednesday, Oct.19 making it a category 5. Wilma was the 21st storm of the 2005 hurricane season. On Tuesday, Oct.18 the hurricane was a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Wilma came just a week after Hurricane Stan, affecting some of the same countries. By Friday, Hurricane Wilma had caused at least 11 deaths in Haiti and Jamaica. Mudslides were becoming a real threat, prompting evacuations in Central America, The Caribbean, and as far as the United States. Hurricane Wilma pounded the western tip of Cuba (figure 3), where the government had to evacuate more than 500,000 people, including 7,000 people from the coastal fishing village of La Coloma. At least one hurricane shelter in downtown Cancun had to evacuate. There were about 1,000 people that had to be moved during the night because the ceiling threatened to collapse. Hurricane Wilma then headed up toward the United States, aiming tworad Collier, Florida. It cost more than 6 billion dollars in damages [1 billion dollars was recorded in Collier, Florida] in Southwest Florida, making it the most damaging natural disaster in 45 years in Florida. Recovery The American Red Cross gave 4,500 hygiene kits to the Mexican Red Cross, and 2,000 hygiene kits to the Bahamas Red Cross Society. These kits include toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and other items. The kits are being sent from relief supplies that were already in Panama. Three months after Hurricane Wilma made landfall, over 300 million dollars had been approved for Florida residents who suffered damages from the disaster.