20 Facts About Hurricane Elena

Hurricane Elena was a tropical cyclone that affected eastern and central portions of the United States Gulf Coast in late August and early September 1985.

The island sustained some of the most significant damage inflicted by Hurricane Elena, including several hundred damaged or demolished homes.

In Hurricane Elena's wake, President Ronald Reagan declared parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida federal disaster areas, making storm victims eligible for financial aid and temporary housing.

The name Elena was later retired from the cyclical list of Atlantic hurricane names because of the storm's effects.

Hurricane Elena's intensity remained consistent, and the cyclone was able to continue strengthening as soon as movement resumed.

Related searches

The threat of Hurricane Elena triggered an unprecedented mass transfer of medical and nursing home patients.

Hurricane Elena would continue to affect the state for several days as it meandered offshore, resulting in moderate to heavy rainfall.

The inlet became dominant over Dunedin Pass to the south, which grew narrower very gradually until Elena rearranged the dynamics of the beach, allowing Dunedin Pass to fill completely with sand within a couple years of the hurricane's passage.

Hurricane Elena created a new inlet known as Willy's Cut, which existed until 1991.

Hurricane Elena tore two barges from their moorings in Tampa Bay and blew them into Gandy Bridge, leaving the bridge with unspecified damage.

Hurricane Elena severed the sole bridge to Cedar Key, temporarily isolating the city and stranding several residents.

Hurricane Elena took one life in the state and indirectly contributed to two additional deaths.

Farther inland, Hurricane Elena's impact was generally limited to downed trees and power lines.

Hurricane Elena's winds damaged most of the schools in Jackson County, and more specifically, every school in Pascagoula was structurally compromised to some degree.

Hurricane Elena destroyed 20 houses and two supermarkets in Ocean Springs, and several buildings on every city block sustained severe roof damage due to fallen trees.

Along the coast, Hurricane Elena caused beach erosion, damaged coastal structures and recreational beach facilities, and dislocated navigational buoys and markers in various ports, several of which were closed pending Coast Guard inspection.

Precipitation from Hurricane Elena reached into southern Georgia and parts of South Carolina, with little impact aside from meager drought relief.

Early in its formative stages, Hurricane Elena triggered rainshowers and thunderstorms over parts of Cuba, The Bahamas, and Hispaniola.

Hurricane Elena has a multifaceted legacy; it is remembered not only for its severe impacts, but for its unpredictability and the wide extent of pre-storm preparations.

Recovery efforts after Hurricane Elena continued to a small degree for years after its passage; for example, beach replenishment at Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County began in the summer of 1990.