It's Not the Wind. Hurricane Storm Surge Is the Real Killer.

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Most people think hurricanes are dangerous because of the wind, the broken windows, the flying debris, the dramatic footage. But that's not what causes the most damage.

[00:00:10]Storm surge is a wall of ocean water pushed ashore by a storm's winds. It can rise several meters in minutes, [music] flooding streets, homes, and entire neighborhoods.

[00:00:22]Unlike rain, surge doesn't drain away.

[00:00:25]It arrives all at once, and it just keeps coming.

[00:00:29]During some hurricane, storm surge accounts for the majority of deaths, not the wind, not the rain, just water moving where it doesn't belong.

[00:00:39]It's why coastal evacuation orders exist, and why hurricanes are often most dangerous after the wind [music] has already passed.