Sep 23rd 2015

Today in History: Remembering Hurricane Jeanne

On this day in 2004, Hurricane Jeanne crashed into Haiti. The deadliest storm of the devastating 2004 season, Hurricane Jeanne is responsible for over 3,035 deaths.

The storm originated near Africa but didn't generate any attention until it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Jeanne on Sept. 14. The storm grew in intensity as it made a loop around the Atlantic Ocean, becoming a fully-functioning Category 2 hurricane on Sept. 20 and reached Haiti three days later.

The most severe impact wasn't due to the storm's winds but the sheer volume of rainfall it produced. The amount of rain caused extreme flooding, which in turn led to costly damages in the areas it struck.

Although only 13 inches of rain fell over Haiti's northern mountains, the rainfall caused catastrophic mudslides. The mudslides took the lives of 3,000 Haitians, the majority of which were in the coastal city of Gonaïves. People drowned when the cities were flooded by the torrential rains and overtook the cities.

After striking Haiti, Jeanne continued on her path of destruction through the Bahamas, where residents were able to evacuate and avoid disaster. Hurricane Jeanne ended her reign in Florida, where residents were much more prepared for the storm after a series of intense hurricanes during the 2004 season and only three people died. Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to slam the panhandle state after Charley, Frances and Ivan had already wreaked havoc there.

https://www.aol.com/article/2015/09/23/today-in-history-remembering-hurricane-jeanne/21239632/