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History of Hurricanes in North Carolina , <br /> "North Carolina has a long and notorious history of destruction by hurricanes. Ever since <br /> the first expeditions to Roanoke Island in 1586, hurricanes are recorded to have caused <br /> tremendous damage to the state. Reliable classi�cation of the intensity of tropical cyclones <br /> began in 1886. Since that time, there have been 951 tropical cyclones recorded in the <br /> Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 166 or 17.5% of those tropical <br /> cyclones passed within 300 miles of North Carolina. The coast of North Carolina can <br /> expect to receive a tropical storm or a hurricane once every four years, while a tropical <br /> cyclone affects the state every 1.3 years" ("Preventing Disasters through Hazard <br /> Mitigation",Ana K. Schwab,Popular Government, Spring 2000,p.4). <br /> Since 1886, eighty-two hurricanes have passed through North Carolina. Of these, twenty- <br /> eight made direct landfall on the North Carolina coast. The worst hurricane to impact <br /> North Carolina was Hurricane Hazel, a Category 4, in 1954. In the past 50 years, two <br /> hurricanes have passed over Orange County;both of which sustained wind speeds of less <br /> than 50 miles per hour by the time they reached Orange County. Hurricane Fran (a 1996 <br /> Category 3 hurricane)did not pass directly over Orange County but structures in the county <br /> sustained some damage from the high winds (approximately 75 miles per hour)Hurricane <br /> Fran sustained in inland areas. Seven deaths and two injuries were reported in Orange <br />' County due to Hurricane Fran. The table below displays major hurricanes that have <br /> impacted the United 5tates. <br /> 30 Costliest Mainland United States Tropical Cyclones <br /> 1900-2006 <br /> Rank Name or Location Year Cate or Dama e* (Millions) � <br /> 1 Katrina 2005 3 $84,645 <br /> 2 Andrew 1992 5 $48,058 <br /> 3 Wilma 2005 3 $21,527 <br /> 4 Charle 2004 4 $16,322 <br /> 5 Ivan 2004 3 $15,451 <br /> 6 Hu o 1989 4 $13,480 <br /> 7 A nes 1972 1 $12,424 <br /> 8 Bets 1965 3 $11,883 <br /> 9 Rita 2005 3 $11,808 <br /> 10 Camille 1969 5 $9,781 <br /> 11 Frances 2004 2 $9,684 <br /> 12 Diane 1955 1 $7,700 <br /> 13 Jeanne 2004 3 $7,508 <br /> 14 Frederic 1979 3 $6,922 <br /> 15 New En land 1938 3 $6,571 <br /> 16 Allison 2001 TS $6,414 <br /> 17 F10 d 1999 2 $6,342 <br /> 18 NE U.S. 1944 3 $5,927 <br /> 19 Fran 1996 3 $4,979 <br /> 20 Alicia 1983 3 $4,825 <br /> 21 O al 1995 3 $4,758 <br /> 8 <br />