Storm Surge: The Real Killer

Surge does its damage with terrifying speed. It is not a single wave that races inland like a tsunami, but a rapid rise in the sea itself: as the storm's winds pile ocean water against the coast, the level can climb several feet in just a few minutes. Areas far from the shore can find themselves under meters of saltwater, the rising flood lifting cars and sweeping debris and collapsed structures along with it.

The deadliest surge on record struck during the 1970 Bhola cyclone in Bangladesh, where water rising several meters above normal killed an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, surge reached 8.5 meters along the Mississippi coast.

Modern warnings have sharply reduced surge deaths, but coastal development keeps putting more people and property in harm's way.