Katrina-like Storm Hitting South Florida Would be a Catastrophe
Posted on May 9, 2006
A storm with Hurricane Katrina's size and strength would deal a catastrophic blow to Southern Florida. The Miami Herald reports on a recent study that looked at what would happen if a large powerful hurricane hit South Florida.
Seven feet of seawater swamps Key Biscayne and 45 miles of coastline from Miami Beach to Deerfield Beach. Saltwater surges through some houses in Hollywood, Coconut Grove and elsewhere. Waist-deep freshwater blankets vast regions of suburban Broward and Miami-Dade counties.The hurricane season officially begins on June 1st and everyone living near the coast is hoping that this season will not by anything like last year's devastating and record breaking season. Florida is especially storm-weary after the last two seasons.Ferocious winds crush tens of thousands of roofs and gut numerous office buildings. Residents who defy orders to evacuate skyscrapers in Miami Beach, on Hollywood's beach and along Miami's downtown corridors could be blown out of their apartments. Power outages persist for months rather than weeks.
According to simulations conducted for The Miami Herald by scientists at the National Hurricane Center and interviews with a wide range of experts, those are not merely theoretical worst-case scenarios.
