And in 1957, Hurricane Audrey's storm surges crashed into the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, killing 390 people. But the most shocking thing about Irma may be what it didn’t do: kill in large numbers. A 2014 National Hurricane Center study estimated that 90% of American hurricane deaths were somehow water-related, mostly drownings. In modern times, when hurricane deaths come, it’s often “in areas with flooding that nobody was expecting,” Olson said. The previous most ruinous storm to hit Florida was Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which destroyed tens of thousands of homes.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 12, 2017 10:01 UTC