Hurricane Harvey, 2017:

Inflicting $125 billion in damage, Harvey is tied with Katrina as the costliest hurricane on record. The wettest storm to make landfall, Harvey inundated the Houston area with widespread flooding, resulting in 30,000 residents displaced.


REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Hurricane Katrina, 2005:

Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history, producing catastrophic damage and massive loss of life. After overwhelming the levees of Lake Pontchartrain, the storm surge flooded 80 percent of New Orleans. Overall, at least 1,245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods, making it the deadliest hurricane since 1928. Displacing over one million people, Katrina would be the costliest storm in U.S. history, matched only by Harvey in 2017.

REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Superstorm Sandy, 2012:

Forming into the largest Atlantic hurricane ever, with hurricane-force winds spanning 900 miles, Sandy affected 24 states across the entirety of the eastern seaboard. A total of 160 people were killed, mostly in New York and New Jersey. The East River overflowed, flooding Lower Manhattan and several subway tunnels. Over 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed across Long Island, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. Over 2 million were left without power. Sandy was the strongest hurricane to strike New York since at least the year 1700.


REUTERS/Steve Nesius

Hurricane Maria, 2017:

Maria would result in the worst natural disaster in the history of Puerto Rico, causing an estimated $90 billion in damage to the already economically struggling U.S. territory. Months after the storm, a research team led by Harvard University estimated the death toll at 4,645, not the 64 pegged by the island's government. The researchers estimate one-third perished because of delayed or interrupted medical care.


REUTERS/Lucas Jackson