2009 Hurricane Season Begins

The north Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and lasts through November. The U.S. Census Bureau produces timely local data that are critical to emergency planning, preparedness and recovery efforts. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the number of people living in areas that could be most affected by these dramatic acts of nature.

35.7 million
Estimated July 1, 2008 population most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes: the coastal portion of the states stretching from North Carolina to Texas. Approximately 12 percent of the nation's population lived in these areas.
Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php>

10.2 million
The 1950 coastal population of the states stretching from North Carolina to Texas. Seven percent of the nation’s population lived in these areas at that time. Source: 1950 Decennial Census <http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts.html>

251%
Percentage growth of the coastal population of the states stretching from North Carolina to Texas between 1950 and 2008. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php> and 1950 Decennial Census <http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts.html>

180,155
Collective land area, in square miles, of the coastal areas from North Carolina to Texas. Source: Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files <http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places2k.html>

3
The number of the nation’s 20 most populous metro areas in 2008 that were within Atlantic or Gulf coastal areas from North Carolina to Texas. These areas are Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas (sixth); Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla.(seventh); and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. (20th).
Source: County and metro population estimates
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013426.html>

8
The number of hurricanes during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. Five were major hurricanes at Category 3 strength or higher. Source: National Hurricane Center <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2008atlan.shtml>

Ana
The name of the first Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean storm of 2009. The second storm will be named Bill.
Source: National Hurricane Center <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml>

Florida

17.9 million
Estimated 2008 coastal population of Florida, accounting for half (50 percent) of the coastal population of the states stretching from North Carolina to Texas. Among the Sunshine State's coastal population, approximately 10.6 million lived along the Atlantic and 7.3 million along the Gulf. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php>

1%
Percentage growth of Florida’s coastal population between 2007 and 2008. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php>

Fay
The only storm on record to make landfall four times in the state of Florida, and to prompt tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for the state’s entire coastline (at various times during its August 2008 lifespan).
Source: National Hurricane Center <http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20081126_hurricaneseason.html>

Hurricanes Past

1950
The year the Weather Bureau officially began naming hurricanes. Source: Atlantic Oceanography and Meteorological Laboratory <http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/J6.html>

2005
In one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, 28 named storms form, 15 of them hurricanes, seven of which are major, and four reach Category Five status. For the first time the alternate Greek alphabet scheme for naming storms has to be employed. Source: Source: Atlantic Oceanography and Meteorological Laboratory <http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/J6.html>

455,056
Estimated population of New Orleans on July 1, 2005 — about two months before Hurricane Katrina struck. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2008-01-22.xls>

311,853
Estimated population of New Orleans on July 1, 2008 — three years after Hurricane Katrina struck. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2008-01-22.xls> and <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013426.html>

29,431
The population of Homestead, Fla., near the point of landfall of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. In 2007, the population of Homestead was 56,601. Source: Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1990s/su-99-07/SU-99-7_FL.txt> and
<http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US1232275&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST&-mt_name=PEP_2007_EST_G2007_T001>

37,789
Population of Galveston, Texas, at the time of the city’s “Great Storm” on Sept. 8, 1900, which killed more than 8,000 people. Source: <http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html>

Note: Coastal counties include those with at least 15 percent of their total land area within the nation’s coastal watershed. Source: NOAA’s List of Coastal Counties <http://www.census.gov/geo/landview/lv6help/coastal_cty.pdf>