What Are the 5 Categories of Hurricanes?
Many people who live in coastal areas in the United States are familiar with hurricane season, which lasts roughly from June to the end of November. Unfortunately, those six months of the year often bring a lot of devastation, costing the country about $22.8 billion per storm. What’s even worse is that nearly 7,000 lives have been lost to these cyclones since 1980.
Though no human being can stop a hurricane from happening, you can ensure that you are as informed as possible. Understanding the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is an excellent start. When you know what to expect in terms of wind speeds and property damage, you’ll be in a much better position to protect yourself from injury when one of these systems heads your way.
Category One
Storms in this category have wind speeds between 74 and 95 miles per hour. There may be some damage to roofs, siding, and gutters. Large tree branches and power lines may fall, causing widespread outages.
It’s important to be prepared to go without power for several days, as it may take crews that long to navigate fallen trees and other storm damage and get everyone back to normal.
Category Two
A category two storm will bring sustained winds between 96 and 110 miles per hour. This is fast enough to cause roof and siding damage and uproot trees if they aren’t planted deep enough. You can also expect downed power lines and outages that may not be resolved for weeks on end, depending on where you live.
Category Three
Winds between 111 and 129 miles per hour can be expected with these storms, which are often referred to as major hurricanes. The National Weather Service may warn of widespread devastation to accompany these winds. This means the storm could strip roofs down to the decking, cause trees to fall on homes and cars, and result in both power and water outages.
Category Four
Category four hurricanes bring winds between 130 and 156 miles per hour. At this point, catastrophic damage is likely to occur, as some homes will lose roofs and outer walls altogether.
Expect even deeply rooted trees and power lines to topple and outages to last months in some areas. 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, a category four hurricane, brought 134 miles-per-hour winds and $125 billion worth of flooding to Texas and Louisiana.
Category Five
Category five storms have winds over 157 miles per hour. These storms collapse and destroy homes and buildings, causing areas to become isolated and uninhabitable for months. One of the most recent examples was Hurricane Michael, which hit Florida in 2018, killed 74 people, and caused $25.1 billion in damage.
What To Do If You Become Injured During or After a Storm
Just facing the possibility of property damage from a storm is difficult enough without having to worry about sustaining an injury as well. Unfortunately, people can get hurt during a hurricane because of someone else’s negligence.
For example, someone may be injured on the premises during a flooding event in a rental home that was in disrepair because the landlord failed to fix known issues.
Whatever the injury, it’s important to know that the process of bringing a claim will be complex, especially as those responsible may try to claim that your problem was caused by the hurricane. In these situations, it’s best to consult an attorney.
An attorney will help you connect the dots on what really caused your injury. If necessary, they’ll help you build a case to go up against the powers that be. When you’ve already lost so much after a hurricane, an attorney can help you figure out the best way to recoup those losses and begin rebuilding your life.
Contact The Fort Mill Personal Injury Lawyers At Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys For Help Today
For more information, please contact our Fort Mill personal injury lawyers in South Carolina at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys to schedule a free consultation today.
We proudly serve York County, Lancaster County, and its surrounding areas:
Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys – Rock Hill Office
212 E Black St,
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 324-7574
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Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys – Lancaster Office
204 A S Main St,
Lancaster, SC 29720
(803) 902-7065
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Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys – Fort Mill Office
1201 Carolina Pl Suite 102D,
Fort Mill, SC 29708
(803) 902-4045
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264 Latitude Ln #102A,
Lake Wylie, SC 29710
(803) 902-3608
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