12 deadliest hurricanes to ever batter America including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy
From a hurricane that claimed up to 12,000 lives, to one which left 80 per cent of New Orleans underwater
IF YOU'RE planning a getaway to America's east coast or the Caribbean, you may want to be wary of hurricane season.
Between 1 June to 30 November, the states will be hit by an average of 12 named tropical storms with winds of at least 39mph.
Of these 12, an average of six sustain winds of 74mph or greater and are thus classed as hurricanes. Half of the six will usually be "major hurricanes", meaning they are at least Category 3 and will reach wind speeds of at least 111mph.
While this may sound like a lot of damage, it's important to remember that not all of the storms will hit land, with many staying at sea.
For example, 2010's hurricane season was the third most active ever recorded, with 19 named storms, of which 12 were hurricanes - but only one reached the US.
But those that do hit land have the potential to cause major devastation, with many claiming lives.
Here we look at the most deadly hurricanes in US history.
Hurricane Floyd, 1999: 57 deaths
Floyd, which peaked as a Category 4 hurricane just 2mph short of the highest possible ranking, first hit the Bahamas, before travelling up the east coast from Florida to Maine.
North Carolina saw the most devastation, with 51 deaths in the state, many of which were caused by the extreme flooding triggered by Floyd's torrential rain.
In what was the third largest evacuation in US history, 2.6 million residents across five states were ordered to leave their homes due to Floyd.
Hurricane Agnes, 1972: 128 deaths
At the time Agnes hit the US, it was the nation's most expensive storm in history, causing major damage in seven states and a further seven feeling its effects.
The brunt of the hurricane hit Pennsylvania, where over 100,000 people were forced out of their homes due to intense flooding - with some buildings under 4m of water.
In total, 128 people lost their lives to Agnes - not including three news correspondents killed in a helicopter crash while reporting on the floods.
Hurricane Ike, 2008: 195 deaths
Ike first hit islands including Haiti, where 74 people died, then travelled up The Bahamas and through the US before hitting Canada and Greenland.
In the US 113 people were killed, with a further 16 still missing as of August 2011.
Ike triggered the biggest search-and-rescue operation in Texan history, and its intensity forced the state to close many of its oil refineries - causing a temporary increase in petrol prices.
Hurricane Sandy, 2012: 233 deaths
The second most expensive hurricane in US history, Sandy formed in Jamaica, where 70 per cent of residents were left without power, before travelling up through The Bahamas and then battering the east coast of America.
In total, 24 American states were affected by Sandy, particularly New York, where 53 people died and much of the city flooded.
The US stock exchange was closed for two consecutive days, the first two-day closure since 1888.
Hurricane Camille, 1969: 256 deaths
Forming in the Gulf of Mexico and travelling through the US as a Category 5 storm, Camille is said to have completely destroyed 3,800 homes and businesses in Mississippi.
With Camille came a 24-foot tsunami-like storm surge, which permanently cut an island off the coast of Mississippi in two.
Great Atlantic Hurricane, 1944: 300-400 deaths
New England was particularly affected by the Hurricane of 1944, which made landfall on Long Island and Rhode Island.
However, most of the fatalities did not occur on land, but at sea - particularly on Navy destroyer USS Warrington, which sunk with a loss of 248 sailors.
Hurricane Audrey, 1957: 416 deaths
Audrey was the deadliest hurricane of the 1950s, striking near the Texas-Louisiana border and unleashing storm surges that travelled up to 25 miles inland.
As it moved across America, the hurricane spawned 23 tornadoes and produced record rainfall, with the resulting flooding killing ten people.
New England hurricane, 1938: 682 deaths
The lack of technology available in 1938 meant that many were not warned of the approaching hurricane and didn't have time to evacuate or prepare.
As a result at least 682 people died, although the death total could be as high as 800.
Florida Keys hurricane, 1919: 772 deaths
The exact death total of the Florida Keys hurricane remains unknown, although it's thought to have claimed 772 lives as it swept across areas of the northern Caribbean Sea and the United States Gulf Coast.
Of these fatalities, roughly 500 were aboard ten ships at sea.
Hurricane Katrina, 2005: 1,833 deaths
The costliest natural disaster ever to hit America, Katrina claimed at least 1,833 lives. Over 1,500 of the fatalities occurred in the state of Louisiana, nearly half of whom were over the age of 74.
Katrina initially sruck Florida, before making its way across Louisiana and Mississippi.
In Louisiana, 80 per cent of New Orleans was flooded, with much of the city remaining underwater for weeks, and 70 per cent of homes were damaged.
San Felipe Okeechobee, 1928: 4,000 deaths
In 1928, this hurricane tore through Puerto Rico and up through Florida, where thousands died and more were left homeless.
Around 75 percent of the fatalities were migrant farm workers, making identification of both dead and missing bodies very difficult and thus the death toll is not very accurate, although is estimated to be around 4,000.
In addition to human deaths, 1,278 livestock and 47,389 poultry were killed.
Galveston, 1900: 6,000 to 12,000 deaths
The coastal resort city of Galveston, on Galveston Island, Texas, was battered by the US' deadliest ever hurricane in 1900.
Thanks to contradictory reports, residents were not warned of the approaching hurricane until the night before it hit, leaving little time to prepare.
This resulted in somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000 deaths - although the number most cited in official reports is 8,000.
In the aftermath of the disaster, the whole island was raised by 17ft, and a 10 mile seawall was erected.
