Though hurricanes can be devastating natural disasters, technology has greatly improved the

impact on citizens of the United States.

Support the statement above in a five-paragraph essay, using the following documents as
support. The opening paragraph must include the thesis (statement above). The 2 nd, 3rd and 4th
paragraphs must include at least two facts: one fact can come from your prior knowledge (not in
the documents) and one or two facts from the documents. Suggested topic sentences for the 2nd,
3rd and 4th paragraphs are given in the graphic organizer. You do not need to use those. The
final paragraph must draw a conclusion without rewriting the thesis. The documents can be cited
in any paragraph, and when cited, should be referenced with parentheses, like this:
(DOCUMENT C).

Graphic Organizer:

THESIS: Though PRIOR DOCUMENT FACTS WHICH

hurricanes can be KNOWLEDGE DOCUMENT?
devastating natural
disasters, technology
has greatly improved
the impact on the
United States.

Suggested topic
sentence for
Paragraph 1: Fewer
people have died in
recent hurricanes.

Suggested topic
sentence for
Paragraph 2: Fewer
people have been
injured during
hurricanes in the past
20 years.
Suggested topic
sentence for
Paragraph 3: Today,
developed countries,
like the United States,
build sturdier
structures in
hurricane-prone
areas.
DOCUMENT A

Ivan continues to teeter between a strong category 4 and category 5 hurricane with warm
water encouraging the storm to maintain strength. Category 5 storms are the most
dangerous hurricanes, because they often lead to the annihilation of many houses, utilities,
and other public infrastructure. Wind speeds exceed 155 mph, and storm surges are greater
than 18 feet. If Ivan steers west of Cuba on Monday, the storm will likely maintain its
category 5 status as it enters the Gulf of Mexico. This storm is a major threat to the
Southeast from the panhandle of Florida to New Orleans, but interests from Tampa Bay to
central Louisiana should continue to monitor this intense storm closely.

Source: Accuweather.com, September 12, 2004

DOCUMENT B

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Advertisement, September 2004

DOCUMENT C

Photo of Galveston, TX after 1900 Hurricane.

Source: Texas State Library

DOCUMENT D

The story of Galveston's tragedy can never be written as it is. Since the cataclysm of
Saturday night a force of faithful men have been struggling to convey to humanity from
time to time some of the particulars of the tragedy.

They have told much, but it was impossible for them to tell all, and the world, at best, can
never know all, for the thousands of tragedies written by the storm must forever remain
mysteries until eternity shall reveal all.

Perhaps it were best that it should be so, for the horror and anguish of those fatal and
fateful hours were mercifully lost in the screaming tempest and buried forever beneath the
raging billows.

Only God knows, and for the rest let it remain forever in the boundlessness of His
omniscience.

But in the realm of finity, the weak and staggered senses of mankind may gather fragments
of the disaster, and may strive with inevitable incompleteness to convey the merest
impression of the saddest story which ever engaged the efforts of a reporter.

- As published Sept. 13, 1900, in The Galveston Daily News

DOCUMENT E

Remembering the 1900 Storm ...

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane struck Galveston. Winds estimated at

140 mph swept over the island, leaving devastation in their wake. After the
storm surge of 15.7 feet subsided, Galvestonians left their shelters to find
6,000 of the city's 37,000 residents dead and more than 3,600 buildings
totally destroyed.

The 1900 Storm is still considered to be the deadliest natural disaster in U.S.
history. After the storm, Galveston constructed a seawall and raised the
grade of the island to protect it from future hurricanes.

Facts about the 1900 Storm:

8.7 feet: The highest elevation on Galveston Island in 1900.

15.7 feet: The height of the storm surge.

28.55 inches: Barometric pressure recorded in Galveston, 30 miles from

where the eye of the storm is best estimated. At the time, this was the
lowest barometric pressure ever recorded.

6,000 to 8,000: Number of people estimated to have died during the

storm.

37,000 people: Population of Galveston in 1900.

3,600: Number of buildings destroyed by the storm.

130 to 140 miles per hour: Speed meteorologists estimate the winds
reached during the storm.

$20 million: Estimated damage costs related to the storm. In today's

dollars, that would be more than $700 million.
DOCUMENT F

Photo of Gulf Coast after Hurricane Camille, Aug 18, 1969.

DOCUMENT G

To this day, Camille remains the most extreme meteorological event to take place in North
America. Although there is some question as to the total death toll, the best estimates are - 255
people killed, and 8,900 injured. A number of people (50 - 75) were never found. Nearly 14,000
housing units were damaged, and 6,000 others were totally destroyed (Coburn 1977). The total
damage from Camille was $4.2 billion ( in 1969 dollars).
DOCUMENT H

Andrew produced a 17 ft storm surge near the landfall point in Florida, while storm tides of
at least 8 ft inundated portions of the Louisiana coast. Andrew also produced a killer tornado
in southeastern Louisiana.

Andrew is responsible for 23 deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas.
The hurricane caused $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion
occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. The vast majority of the damage in
Florida was due to the winds. Damage in the Bahamas was estimated at $250 million.

DOCUMENT I

Hurricane Iris 2001

Iris first became a tropical depression just east of the lesser
Antilles on 4 October. The depression tracked west-
northwestward into the eastern Caribbean where it
became a tropical storm on the 5th and a hurricane
on the 6th. Iris then turned westward, passing just
south of Jamaica on the 7th. The storm then
moved quickly west-southwestward toward the
coast of Belize as it became a small but powerful
Category 4 hurricane on the 8th (figure). Iris made
landfall over southern Belize early on the 9th at Category 4 intensity, then quickly
weakened after landfall to dissipation later that day.

The winds and storm surges of Iris caused severe damage over portions of the southern
Belize coast. The storm was responsible for 31 deaths, including 20 in Belize, 8 in
Guatemala, and 3 in the Dominican Republic. The deaths in Belize occurred when the M/V
Wave Dancer capsized in port, killing 20 of the 28 people on board.

DOCUMENT J

Mandatory Evacuation for hurricane; source: Virginia Department of Transportation.

Rubric for scoring:
Paragraph 1:

____ 10 points states the thesis

____ 10 points includes only relevant information

Paragraph 2:

____ 4 points states a fact (or facts) supporting the thesis from the documents

____ 4 points references the document(s) correctly

____ 4 points states a fact supporting the thesis from prior knowledge

____ 4 points includes only relevant information

____ 4 points used at least two documents

Paragraph 3:

____ 4 points states a fact (or facts) supporting the thesis from the documents

____ 4 points references the document(s) correctly

____ 4 points states a fact supporting the thesis from prior knowledge

____ 4 points includes only relevant information

____ 4 points used at least two documents

Paragraph 4:

____ 4 points states a fact (or facts) supporting the thesis from the documents

____ 4 points references the document(s) correctly

____ 4 points states a fact supporting the thesis from prior knowledge

____ 4 points includes only relevant information

____ 4 points used at least two documents

Paragraph 5:

____ 5 points draws a conclusion related to thesis without restating the thesis

Entire essay:
____ 15 points uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation SCORE: ________