Floods and hurricanes are the most common and costly of all natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss. They are the leading cause of weather related mortality in the United States resulting in approximately 200 deaths per year. Hurricanes are the major cause of broad scale flooding over coastal and adjacent inland areas producing heavy rain and storm surge that can drive water far inland. Hurricanes have caused 465 deaths in the United States since 1983. Hurricane Camille in Gulf of Mexico killed 256 people in 1969, about half from flooding. There have been 49 weather-related disasters in the past 21 years in USA. Most were floods and hurricanes. The financial impact and damage caused by floods and hurricanes is enormous. Conservative estimates place direct costs of $60 billion for flood related damages in the United States since 1990 and over $84 billion for damages caused by hurricanes over the past 20 years. This does not include indirect costs such as lost productivity, income and revenue, customer satisfaction, missed deadlines, computer data information cost and peace of mind. These costs are very likely going to escalate in the future with widespread growth and development, global warming and the return of El Nino.

Floods don't just occur along the coast or beside rivers. They can happen in deserts, mountainous areas or on city streets. Every state has experienced flooding. FEMA estimates that 10 million US households are located in high flood risk areas. Furthermore, the majority of the world's population now lives near the coast. Historically, locating a business near the coast or waterways provided a good infrastructure for ease of trade and commerce. Widespread growth and development has reduced open land surfaces. All of these factors have significantly increased our exposure to floods and hurricanes.

Hurricanes are violent storms originating over tropical waters. Unlike floods, they usually affect a wider area ranging from 100–1000 miles in diameter. Some strong Category 5 hurricanes have recorded sustained winds of over 200 miles per hour and storm surge over 24 ft. Hurricanes combine not only storm surge and powerful winds, but also can spawn tornados and torrential rains into a devastating combination. Four out of the five largest natural disasters in the United States have been hurricanes. In a hurricane it is usually the winds that people are afraid of, but flooding is the most common cause of death. Hurricanes have caused almost 500 deaths in the past 20 years in the United States. The majority of deaths in hurricanes are by drowning in floods caused by heavy rains.

Even tropical storms can cause widespread destruction and loss of life. Tropical Storm Allison that struck the City of Houston in June 2001 caused $5 billion in property damage, flooded 45,000 homes and businesses and caused 47 deaths in 6 states. Numerous health and safety hazards were caused by this storm, ranging from mold to mosquitoes. There were over 100 health hazard complaints reported to the City of Houston Public Health Department.

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