July 2013, Vol. 240 No. 7
Features
Hurricane Outlook Calls For Another Busy Season On Gulf Coast
Tropical storms and hurricanes are among the largest and most destructive weather phenomena on earth. In the continental United States alone, it’s estimated that tropical cyclones have caused an average annual damage of $10 billion since 1900, according to a study in the Natural Hazards Review. And lying in the paths of these monsters are thousands of offshore drilling platforms and thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines. Background Facts When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita threatened the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, it was estimated that 2,900 offshore drilling platforms were in their paths. Both storms followed similar tracks across the central Gulf, on a beeline toward Lou
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