Effect of Hurricane Elena on Florida's Marsh-Dominated Coast: Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus Counties

摘要

During late August and early September, 1985, Hurricane Elena passed erratically through the Gulf of Mexico, threatening landfall across the west-central Florida coast. The class 3 (maximum winds were 110 knots) hurricane's unusual path caused it to remain approximately stationary about 100 km off the west-central coast of Florida for 36 hours. Eventually, Elena passed off to the west-northwest making landfall along the Mississippi Coast. Hurricane Elena caused the largest evacuation in U.S. history of people from coastal lowlands. The storm also caused widespread property damage and is one of the most expensive storms on record.