Gov. Tate Reeves urges Mississippi evacuees remain patient, not return to flooded homes
Mississippi braces for more rainfall amid historic flooding; insight from Governor Tate Reeves.
Southeastern states have been hammered by heavy rain and floods this week.
Mississippi authorities had braced Sunday for the possibility of catastrophic flooding in and around the state’s capital, as water levels rose precipitously in a river swollen by days of torrential rain.
But as devastating as the impact of this flood may be, it pales in comparison to some of its predecessors across the country.
Here are five of the most devastating floods in U.S. history:
Hurricane Katrina, Southern Louisiana - 2005
Hurricane Katrina caused devastating floods throughout southern Louisiana and the greater New Orleans area between Aug. 23 and 31, 2005.
80 percent of New Orleans was flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina. (weather.gov)
More than 1,800 people were killed while 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded, causing nearly $100 billion in damage.
Sea Islands Hurricane, South Carolina - 1893
A Category 3 hurricane ripped through South Carolina’s coastal islands in the late summer of 1893, killing as many as 3,500 people.
Nearly every building was destroyed, causing about $29 million in damages in 2020 dollars, and 30,000 people were left homeless, according to hurricanescience.org.
The hurricane occurred at a time when few resources were available to predict, let alone prepare, for natural disasters.
Johnstown Flood, Pennsylvania - 1889
On May 31, 1889, heavy rain in central Pennsylvania caused a dam to burst open, unleashing 20 million tons of water that devastated the city of Johnstown.
The destruction left in the wake of the Johnstown Flood of 1889. (nps.gov)
The flood was catastrophic, causing at least 2,200 deaths. The disaster did, however, bring the nation together to aid the “Johnstown sufferers,” according to the National Park Service.
South Florida - 1928
On Sept. 16, 1928, a Category 4 hurricane hit southern Florida, reaching the shore with winds up to 150 mph. More than 18 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours, while the hurricane destroyed every building in its path.
Inland, the heavy rainfall caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow, pouring into surrounding communities. Flooding and high winds killed an estimated 3,000 people, according to Palm Beach County History Online.
The devastation prompted officials to build the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee to prevent flooding in the future.
Galveston Hurricane, Texas - 1900
The Galveston Hurricane has gone down as the deadliest natural disaster in American history, according to the Library of Congress.
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest flood in U.S. history. (nps.gov)
Warning systems back then were shoddy, and many residents were largely unprepared for the Category 4 hurricane that slammed into Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900.
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Estimates of fatalities range from as low as 6,000 to as high as 12,000. Once a booming port city, Galveston never managed to recover from the estimated $600 million in damage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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