Are ‘safer’ hurricanes more damaging?

After Irma and Harvey and Maria, there’s another hurricane on the horizon: Hurricane Nate, which is expected to make landfall this weekend.

Compared to the others, Nate doesn’t seem as powerful: Irma sustained speeds of 185 mph, while Nate’s force is estimated at 80 mph (a Category 1 hurricane instead of Category 5). But don’t be fooled by the seemingly low number.

First of all, though winds are frightening, it’s the water that really causes the damage, and the potential deaths. The winds last a few days, but the flooding and the storm surges can last for much longer. According to the National Hurricane Center, about 88 percent of hurricane deaths from 1963 to 2012 in the US were caused by the water, not the winds. This is already the...

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