Remembering Hurricane Floyd…

An incorrect hurricane forecast can kill hundreds of people. An unnecessary evacuation can cost millions, put a large population in harm’s way and lead to apathy among residents who declare they will not leave next time.

That is the dilemma facing forecasters every time a major hurricane threatens a coastline. In the aftermath of 1999’s Hurricane Floyd, many residents along the east coast were second guessing the huge evacuations that were ordered by officials as the hurricane approached the coast. Many claimed that the warnings for extremely dangerous Hurricane Floyd were overblown as a slightly weaker Hurricane Floyd skirted the east coast of Florida heading toward the Carolinas.

But forecasters were unapologetic. The National Hurricane Center did expect the storm to turn northeast away from the coast, but could not guarantee it. Better safe than sorry led to the warnings of the storm’s catastrophic potential.

As the storm turned toward the Carolinas with winds of 125 mph, meteorologists warned that Floyd was almost as strong as Hurricane Hugo, which battered the Charleston, South Carolina area in 1989.

Walt Disney World in Orlando was closed for two days. It was the first time that the resort had ever closed due to the weather.

By the 15th, Floyd’s winds had dropped to 105 mph as it made landfall on the North Carolina coast near Cape Fear. The storm would go on to cause record flooding in parts of the North Carolina and the Northeast.

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