One of the most dramatic, damaging, and potentially deadly events that can occur in Bermuda is a hurricane.

According to Wikipedia.com, hurricanes are products of the Tropical Ocean and atmosphere. Powered by heat from the sea, they are steered erratically by the easterly trade winds and the temperate westerly winds, as well as by their own energy.

As they move ashore, they bring with them a storm surge of ocean water along the coastline, high winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, and flooding.

Each year on average, ten tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico.

About six of these typically strengthen enough to become hurricanes.

Many of these remain over the ocean with little or no impact on Bermuda or the United States.

However, about five hurricanes strike the US coastline every three years and this, in turn sometimes brings them closer to Bermuda.

Of these five, two will be major hurricanes measuring a category three or higher (defined as having winds above 111 miles per hour) on the Saffir-Simpson Scale (www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm).

During a hurricane, homes, businesses, public buildings, and infrastructure may be damaged or destroyed by many different storm hazards.

Debris

Debris can break windows and doors, allowing high winds www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_winds.shtm and rain inside the home.

In extreme storms (such as Hurricanes Fabian and Andrew), the force of the wind alone can cause tremendous devastation, as trees and power lines topple and weak elements of homes and buildings fail.

Flooding

Roads, as was the case at John Smith’s Bay, and even the causeway with Fabian can be washed away and homes saturated by flooding http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_flood.shtm.

Destructive tornadoes (http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_tornadoes.shtm) can also be present well away from the storms centre during landfall as was the case with Fabian.

Yet, storm surge (www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_surge.shtm) alone poses the highest life threat and destruction.

And these threats are not limited to the immediate coastline, but can extend inland under the right conditions.