South Texas Often Hit by Hurricanes

When you think of Texas, you probably don't think of hurricanes, but statistics prove that Texas is brushed or hit every 4 years by a hurricane. Just recently, in fact, five Texas counties impacted by Hurricane Karl are seeking federal loans. A disaster loan outreach center opened in Corpus Christi for the people who needed help with property damage.

Because Texas is not a high-profile state when it comes to hurricanes, residents don't always think about hurricane shutters. They should, however. Those who install roll-down shutters often have less serious damage to their homes caused by high winds.

Irene Hurricane

Texas has a long history of being slammed by hurricanes and tropical storms. Because it's not as serious as a hurricane, you might not think of tropical storms as dangerous, but consider this: there is only one mph difference in the wind speed for a tropical storm to upgrade to a hurricane. The tornadoes that form near the eye and the outer spiral bands of the hurricane or tropical storm are also just as harmful as the hurricane itself. Just to name a few of the hurricanes that have hammered Texas in recent years:

Hurricane Alicia: Alicia was a small hurricane, but a very powerful one, nonetheless. It strengthened as it came in, and reached Category 3 status as it hit land. Only a 60 mile sector of the coast had hurricane force winds from Hurricane Alicia. Despite its small size, Alicia caused over .4 billion in damages.

Hurricane Gilbert: Gilbert was a Category 5 storm, and did not even strike the coast of Texas. It did plenty of damage anyway, though. Wind gusts of up to 83 mph were measured, without the hurricane never making landfall in Texas. There were at least 29 tornadoes spotted during the storm in south Texas, and they caused between and million in damages.

Hurricane Bret: Bret made landfall with 115 mph winds, making it a Category 3 storm as it hit the coast of Texas. Bret caused about million in damage, but no deaths.

Hurricane Karl: 22 people have been confirmed killed by Hurricane Karl, and losses from the storm have been estimated at .9 billion.

Hurricanes and tropical storms often hit the coast of Texas, and they can cause extreme damage to homes and properties. If you want to minimize the damage caused by these storms, you would be wise to install hurricane shutters or their equivalent today.

South Texas Often Hit by Hurricanes