Info on South Atlantic Hurricane #1 as of 11:30 p.m. EST, Mar 27, 2004

Brazilian Hurricane Aftermath

Damage and death statistics from various news sources

The unnamed hurricane dubbed Catarina by Brazilian meteorologists made landfall in the wee hours of Sunday morning as a borderline category 1/2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale with winds estimated to have been near 95 m.p.h. (155 kmh). The winds, catching Brazil off guard as they were insisting that this was not a hurricane, despite all data pointing to the contrary, destroyed thousands of homes and damaged many others. The worst of the damage occurred to the north of Torres in the town of Santa Catarina. Word regarding the damage in the small towns is limited as the hurricane cut communications to much of the area. In addition to the damage, there have been two confirmed deaths, as well as many injuries.

As an aside, this result from Brazil shows the dangers of now heeding a hurricane warning. Despite receiving numerous reports from the National Hurricane Center that this was a hurricane, the meteorologists for Brazil insisted that the cyclone was not even tropical and only had sustained winds of minimal tropical storm force. Had the Brazilians have made the necessary preparations for the storm, the damage could have been mitigated as the structures could have been prepared for the storm. Failure to take a hurricane warning seriously will place your life and property in danger. It is always better to be safe than sorry when facing an impending disaster.

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