Science: The Benefits Of Hurricanes

Each summer and fall, the severe tropical storms known as hurricanes become a major meteorological peril for inhabitants of the Eastern and Gulf Coast states. In 1970 the winds, rains and floods of Hurricane Celia killed eleven and caused some $454 million in damage in Texas alone. Two years later, Hurricane Agnes brought even greater devastation, killing 118 people and leaving over $3 billion in damage. In a continuing effort to prevent−or at least minimize−such disasters, the Federal Government has been sponsoring Project Stormfury, which was designed to study the formation of the complex storms and find ways of controlling them.

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