Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third
major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. The Cape
Verde-type hurricane formed off the coast of Africa and lasted from
September 7 to September 19, peaking in strength as a very strong
Category 4 hurricane — just short of the highest possible rating — on
the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was among the largest Atlantic
hurricanes of its strength ever recorded. Floyd struck the Bahamas at
peak strength, causing heavy damage. It then paralleled the East Coast
of the United States, causing massive evacuations and costly
preparations. The storm weakened significantly, however, before making
landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane, and caused
further damage as it traveled up the Mid-Atlantic and into New
England. The hurricane produced torrential rainfall in eastern North
Carolina, adding more rain to an area hit by Hurricane Dennis just
weeks earlier. In total, Floyd was responsible for 57 fatalities and
$4.5 billion ($5.1 billion in 2005 U.S. dollars) in damage, mostly in
North Carolina.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Floyd
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: British forces took Bunker Hill outside of
Boston.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bunker_Hill)
1789:
French Revolution: The Third Estate of France declared itself the
National Assembly.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_%28French_Revolution%29)
1961:
Canada's New Democratic Party was founded with the merger of the CCF
and organised labour.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democratic_Party)
1972:
Watergate scandal: Five men were arrested for burglarising the offices
of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal)
1994:
O. J. Simpson was chased down and arrested on suspicion of murdering
his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"Some would say that it is too idealistic to believe in a society
based on tolerance and the sanctity of human life, where borders,
nationalities and ideologies are of marginal importance. To those I
say, this is not idealism, but rather realism, because history has
taught us that war rarely resolves our differences. Force does not
heal old wounds; it opens new ones." -- Mohamed ElBaradei
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohamed_ElBaradei)