Uncle Sam's tryst with nature's wrath

The United States has a history of being battered by the deadliest of storms and huricanes.

As superstorm Sandy hit the US East Coast, millions were left powerless and into misery that saw nurses at a New York hospital manually pumping air to the lungs of those on respirators. Sandy's destruction has also prompted the evacuation of about 200 patients at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York city. Sandy has already taken the lives of at least 67 people in the Caribbean, including 51 in Haiti.

Around 50 million people are said to be affected by the storm, with up to a million ordered to evacuate their homes. Sandy which is now downgraded from a hurricane is churning north heading for Canada. According to US met department, Sandy could linger over as many as 12 states for 24-36 hours.

Each hurricane or storm that hit US in the past few years has brought maximum devastation to Uncle Sam's land. Here TSI takes a look at several devastating storms in the history US.

In 2012 itself, Hurricane Isaac, a slow-moving tropical cyclone, caused widespread destruction along the northern Gulf Coast of the United States in late August. Isaac, fourth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, developed from a tropical wave located east of the Lesser Antilles on August 21. The storm caused severe damage to life and property. Isaac claimed more than 45 lives and $2 bn worth property was damaged.

Hurricane Irene, a destructive tropical cyclone, had affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Irene is currently dubbed as ranked as the fifth costliest hurricane in United States history. Irene, originated from Atlantic tropical wave that began showing signs of organization east of the Lesser Antilles.

Hurricane Katrina which brought devastatation to New Orleans and the southern Mississippi coast in 2005 was the costliest hurricane in terms of property damage. Over $81 billion of property was damaged in the hurricane. Katrina claimed around 1800 lives. According to reports, hurricane Katrina was perhaps the most well-documented natural disaster in the US history.

Hurricane Rita was the fourth–most devastating Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. Around 120 deaths in four US states were directly related to the Rita. The reported death toll for Hurricane Rita was 120.

The 110-mile-per-hour winds prompted by Hurricane Ike in 2008 mowed down 50-foot-tall trees and flooded coastal areas. The impact on Houston, the fourth-largest city of US and home to N.A.S.A. was estimated at $54 billion which would make Ike one of the costliest U.S. storms ever. The toll in that hurricane was recorded at 193.

Similarly, Hurricane Andrew of 1992 was a destructive tropical cyclone that was, at the time, proved the costliest hurricane in US history. It claimed at least 65 lives. According to National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (NWSWFO) of US, Hurricane Andrew caused an estimated $26 billion damage to property. Andrew became a hurricane on August 22 and strengthened to a strong category 4 hurricane the next day.

In 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane claimed the lives of up to 3,000 people in Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida. With wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour, the storm killed mostly migrant farm workers and left floodwaters for weeks afterward.

Meanwhile, in the wake of Sandy, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney have changed their campaign plans in their final sprint before the November 6 election. Scoring a point over Romney, Obama has asked his supporters to divert his campaign funds to the victims' relief fund.

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