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Effects of Natural Disasters in Florida

When people think of Florida, they think of sun, sand and fun. However, the same factors that make Florida a vacation destination make the state vulnerable to natural disasters. With 1,200 miles of coastline, Floridians often experience hurricanes and floods. In addition to hurricanes and floods, tornadoes and wildfires are the most common disasters in Florida, and each type of disaster has different effects and costs.

  1. Effects of Tornadoes

    • Tornadoes in Florida often happen with a storm.

      Florida averages 55 tornadoes per year, the third highest number of any state. Florida tornadoes are often rain-wrapped. Rain-wrapped tornadoes occur when it rains hard enough to obscure vision, meaning people cannot see the tornado coming in time to take shelter. Rain-wrapped tornadoes touched down in central Florida in March 2011, causing small airplanes to flip over, trees to fall down and a tent to collapse, trapping 70 people inside.

    Effects of Hurricanes

    • Hurricanes threaten Florida each hurricane season.

      Water surrounds Florida on three sides, making it the state most likely to get hit by a hurricane. The decade from 2000 to 2010 has seen three of the 10 costliest hurricanes in Florida's history: Wilma (2005, $20.6 billion), Charley (2004, $16.3 billion) and Ivan (2004, $15.5 billion). In addition to monetary damages, the high winds and flooding from hurricanes can cause death. From 2000 to 2010, hurricanes caused 32 deaths in Florida.

    Effects of Wildfires

    • Wildfires can occur in Florida at any time of year. On average, Florida has the second most wildfires of any state. In Florida, wildfires can have positive effects by enhancing wildlife habitat and restoring the ecology of an area. Most often, wildfires have negative effects on people and property. In February 2011, a fire burned 10,000 acres, causing parts of Interstate 95 to close and destroying one home.

    Effects of Floods

    • People and property suffer from flooding in urban areas.

      Floods in Florida can occur as part of a larger natural disaster, such as a hurricane, or due to heavy rain. Because 80 percent of Florida's population lives near the coast, floods are a possibility for most residents. Floods have immediate effects: causing traffic jams, damaging the power system and passing waterborne disease. Floods also have economic effects as people restore lost property. From 2002 to 2006, insured flood losses cost Floridians more than $2.3 billion.

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