Healthy Lunch

When you go to school, you want to be at the top of your game so you can stay alert and perform well. Eating a healthy lunch and snacks will help fuel your brain and body. But putting together healthy lunches and snacks can be surprisingly difficult and time consuming. It’s certainly much easier to bring pre-packaged snacks and lunches to school. These options, however, are often filled with saturated fats, sodium, and sugar—all things that you should avoid.

Below are some suggestions for lunches or snacks that are delicious, healthy, and easy to make. Round off any of these with fruit (apples, oranges, bananas) or veggies and beans (carrots, celery, edamame) on the side.

Sandwiches

Use whole wheat, whole grain, or flax breads. Options for easy and yummy sandwiches are:

• Peanut butter and jelly, topped with sliced banana
• Low-fat deli meat, lettuce, tomato slice, and mustard or hummus
• Cheese, avocado, sprouts
• Smoked salmon, low-fat cream cheese, tomato, red-onion

Kabobs

Use wooden skewers to create healthy kabobs. Alternate sliced apples, bell peppers, grapes, baby tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, broccoli, baby carrots, and anything else you can think of. For dipping, use yogurt, hummus, sour cream, or tzatziki, a Greek sauce made with yogurt and spices.

Pitas or roll-ups

Whole-wheat pita or roll ups are great because you can stuff them with anything: low-fat deli meats, steamed kale, sliced cheese, tomato and cucumber slices, sprouts. Stuff these beforehand, or simply pack the ingredients and put it together when you are ready to eat.

Thermos food

• Hot Food: soups and stews (this is an especially useful way to deal with leftovers)

• Cold Foods: blend up a cold fruit and veggie smoothie before you leave for the day

Couscous Salad

Couscous is tiny grains of pasta that is often used in Moroccan cooking.
It combines well with dried cherries in this salad that’s a great accompaniment to lamb or poultry (optional).

Makes four cups, about six servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking couscous, uncooked
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous.
2. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Uncover; let cool 10 minutes.
3. Put cooked couscous, dried cherries, carrots, cucumbers, green onions and
almonds in a large mixing bowl; mix well.
4. Combine vinegar, olive oil and mustard; mix well. Pour over couscous mixture, stirring to coat all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Nutrition facts per serving Calories per serving: 171 • Total Fat per serving: 5.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.1mg Food exchanges 1 starch/bread • 1 fat

6 Healthiest Food

Do you think hard to find healthy food. Sometimes, maybe you think the healthy food already not healthy because some reason. So, this is a list of 6 healthiest food in the world.

1. Olive Oil

Olive Oil contains monounsaturated (good) fats, which have been shown to have some excellent health benefits, such as possibly lowering your risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. The popular Mediterranean Diet craze is well founded because people from these countries, who tend to get more of their fat from monounsaturated sources like olive oil and less from saturated and trans fat have lower incidences of heart disease, atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and asthma. Be sure to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is the least processed and contains more polyphenols (antioxidants).

2. Broccoli

Broccoli makes the 10 healthiest foods list because it's high in antioxidants and loaded with vitamin C, calcium and folic acid. Broccoli is a proven cancer fighting food – eating broccoli stimulates the body to create natural cancer fighting substances and diets including broccoli have been shown to prevent a number of different types of cancers. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low in calories. Among the other many healthy benefits of broccoli are its’ ability to help prevent osteoporosis and treat high blood pressure.

3. Spinach

Spinach prevents muscle & bone loss and has been linked to decreased risk of cancer and heart diseases. It’s also very high in antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium and folate. Spinach is one the healthiest foods you can eat – calorie for calorie, not many foods can match the nutritional benefits and low calorie content of spinach and other green, leafy vegetables like kale and Swiss chard.

4. Apples

Apples aid in lowering cholesterol; prevent numerous types of cancer; and have health benefits related to many other conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, and diabetes. Apples are extremely high in antioxidants and contain high amounts of vitamin C and fiber. However, apples tend to be one of the most contaminated fruits with pesticides, so choose organic varieties when possible.

5. Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one the top 6 healthiest foods for good reason: they're a nutrient-rich vegetable that contain high amounts of fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Sweet potatoes also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and have been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels (making you feel fuller for longer periods of time) and have cancer and heart disease fighting properties.

6. Salmon

Salmon is loaded with heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a decreased risk of sudden-death heart attacks, heart disease, memory loss, and Alzheimer's. Salmon has also been shown to help control symptoms of arthritis and depression as well. Be sure to choose wild salmon over farm raised.

6 Things of Bad Luck

1. Black cat
The origin of superstitions surrounding black cats including why a black cat crossing your path is considered bad luck.

Black Cats weren’t always the butt of superstitions, feared, or even considered bad luck. In fact, in early Egyptian times, dating back as far as 3000 BC, cats (including black ones) were the rock stars of the animal world, held in high esteem; to kill one was considered a capital crime. It wasn’t until the middle-ages in Europe that the black cat’s rock star status started to go downhill as they began to be associated with so-called witches. The hysteria of witches practicing black magic had just hit Europe and alley cats were often cared for and fed by the poor lonely old ladies (funny how some things never change) later accused of witchery.

Their cat companions, some of which were black ones, were deemed guilty of witchery by association. This belief was taken up a notch when a folklore involving a father and son in Lincolnshire in the 1560′s started making the rounds. The pair were said to have been traveling one moonless night when a black cat crossed their path and dove into a crawl space. Naturally, they did what any guys would do, they threw rocks at the furry feline until the helpless injured creature scurried out into a woman’s house, who at the time was suspected of being a witch. The next day, the father and son came across the same woman and noticed she was limping and bruised and believed that to be more than just a coincidence. From that day on in Lincolnshire, it was thought that witches could turn into black cats at night.

The belief of witches transforming themselves into black cats in order to prowl streets unobserved became a central belief in America during the Salem witch hunts. Even today the association of black cats and witches holds strong during Halloween celebrations, despite the holiday’s religious beginnings. Thus, an animal once looked on with approbation became a symbol of evil omens in some parts of the World.

However, in some cultures, the black cat is still revered and a symbol of good luck even today. The Scottish believe that a strange black cat’s arrival to the home signifies prosperity, while Pirates of the 19th century believed if a black cat walks towards you, it’s a sign of bad luck, but it’s good luck if it walks away from you. In the English Midlands, a black cat as a wedding present is thought to bring good luck to the bride!

2. Spilling Salt

The widespread superstition that spilling salt brings bad luck is believed to have originated with the overturned salt cellar in front of Judas Iscariot at the Last Supper, an incident immortalized in Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting.

According to an old Norwegian superstition, a person will shed as many tears as will be necessary to dissolve the salt spilled. An old English belief has it that every grain of salt spilled represents future tears. The Germans believe that whoever spills salt arouses enmity, because it is thought to be the direct act of the devil, the peace disturber. The French throw a little spilled salt behind them in order to hit the devil in the eye, to temporarily prevent further mischief. In the United States, some people not only toss a pinch of spilled salt over the left shoulder, but crawl under the table and come out the opposite side.

3. Walking under the ladder
Superstitions are blind beliefs which may sound illogical but all the same permeate every aspect of life and may vary in their importance according to the beliefs of cultures and nations. Some of the common superstitious beliefs considered ill omens include shattering of glass, breaking a mirror, a black cat cutting your path, walking under a ladder, among many more. Basically a ladder that is made to rest against a wall forms a triangle which was traditionally symbolic of life. So walking under a ladder or through a triangle was like risking life and hence considered bad luck.

4. Broken mirror
A broken mirror reflecting a distorted image was indicative of a corrupt soul and people who saw their reflections in broken pieces thus called for misfortune. The superstition itself was a combination of two superstitions – Bizarro world and seven years of revival. People believed that breaking a mirror entrapped the soul in a Bizarro world (where people act in the way opposite to that on earth) that the mirror represented. This resulted in bad health and thus bad fortune. The Romans also believed that the physical body revived itself in seven years. Therefore, the time period for facing the consequences was seven years.

5. Stepping on a crack in a sidewalk
Most children know a simple nursery rhyme: if you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back. They sing it to themselves while skipping rope or playing hopscotch, and never give much thought to its true ramifications. For if they did, they might exercise just a bit more caution when hurrying down the sidewalk to get to the ice cream truck. It’s frankly amazing that mothers everywhere aren’t confined to wheelchairs and hospital emergency rooms considering the number of cracks in the world.

This also presents a hidden danger: malicious children can use this form of bad luck to physically assault their parents. If a mother instructs her son to stop playing outside and do his chores, all the child has to do is locate a nearby crack and stamp on it thoroughly. The mother will be permanently crippled, and he will get to play happily for hours until social services comes to take him away. It’s therefore a good idea for parents to fill in any cracks on the sidewalk with spackle until proper moral values can be taught.

6.Opening an umbrella indoors
The most common stems from the days when umbrellas were used mainly as protection against the sun. To open one indoors would be to insult the local sun god (especially Ra) and invite his wrath on everyone in your household.

Another theory borrows from the idea of an umbrella as a protector against the storms of life. If you were to open one in your home, the household guardian spirits might think you felt their protection was insufficient, and then they'd leave in a huff. Once again, everyone in the house is cursed.

In truth, the superstition is probably coincidental.

Indonesia

Republic of Indonesia

President: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004)

Land area: 699,548 sq mi (1,811,831 sq km);
total area: 741,096 sq mi (1,919,440 sq km)

Population (2010 est.): 242,968,342 (growth rate: 1.1%); birth rate: 18.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 28.9/1000; life expectancy: 71.0; density per sq km: 130

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Jakarta, 13,194,000 (metro. area), 8,389,443 (city proper)

Other large cities: Surabaya, 3,038,800; Bandung, 2,733,500; Medan, 2,204,300; Semarang, 1,267,100

Monetary unit: Rupiah

National name: Republik Indonesia

Current government officials

Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official), English, Dutch, Javanese, and more than 580 other languages and dialects

Ethnicity/race: Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%

Religions: Islam 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1% (1998)

National Holiday: Independence Day, August 17

Literacy rate: 90% (2004 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2009 est.): $969.2 billion; per capita $4,000.
Real growth rate: 4.5%. Inflation: 5%. Unemployment: 7.7%. Arable land: 11%.

Agriculture: rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs.
Labor force: 108 million (2007 est.); agriculture 43.3%, industry 18%, services 38.7% (2004 est.).
Industries: petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism.
Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver.
Exports: $115.6 billion (2009 est.): oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber. Imports: $86.6 billion (2009 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: Japan, U.S., Singapore, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Malaysia (2006).

Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 14.821 million (2006); mobile cellular: 63.803 million (2006). Radio broadcast stations: AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998).
Television broadcast stations: 54 (2006).
Internet hosts: 559,359 (2007).
Internet users: 16 million (2005).

Transportation:
Railways: total: 6,458 km (2006).
Highways: total: 368,360 km; paved: 213,649 km; unpaved: 154,711 km (2006 est.). Waterways: 21,579 km; note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km (2007).
Ports and harbors: Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok. Airports: 652 (2007).

International disputes: East Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet, survey and delimit land boundary, but several sections of the boundary remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest the sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait.

Geography

Indonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia consisting of 17,000 islands (6,000 inhabited) and straddling the equator. The largest islands are Sumatra, Java (the most populous), Bali, Kalimantan (Indonesia's part of Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), the Nusa Tenggara islands, the Moluccas Islands, and Irian Jaya (also called West Papua), the western part of New Guinea. Its neighbor to the north is Malaysia and to the east is Papua New Guinea.

Indonesia, part of the “ring of fire,” has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world. Earthquakes are frequent. Wallace's line, a zoological demarcation between Asian and Australian flora and fauna, divides Indonesia.

Government

Republic.

History

The 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia were home to a diversity of cultures and indigenous beliefs when the islands came under the influence of Hindu priests and traders in the first and second centuries A.D. Muslim invasions began in the 13th century, and most of the archipelago had converted to Islam by the 15th century. Portuguese traders arrived early in the next century but were ousted by the Dutch around 1595. The Dutch United East India Company established posts on the island of Java, in an effort to control the spice trade.

After Napoléon subjugated the Netherlands in 1811, the British seized the islands but returned them to the Dutch in 1816. In 1922, Indonesia was made an integral part of the Dutch kingdom. During World War II, Japan seized the islands. Tokyo was primarily interested in Indonesia's oil, which was vital to the war effort, and tolerated fledgling nationalists such as Sukarno and Mohammed Hatta. After Japan's surrender, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed Indonesian independence on Aug. 17, 1945. Allied troops, mostly British Indian forces, fought nationalist militias to reassert the prewar status quo until the arrival of Dutch troops.

Dutch Recognize Indonesia's Independence

In Nov. 1946, a draft agreement on forming a Netherlands-Indonesian Union was reached, but differences in interpretation resulted in more fighting between Dutch and nationalist forces. Following a bitter war for independence, leaders on both sides agreed to terms of a union on Nov. 2, 1949. The transfer of sovereignty took place in Amsterdam on Dec. 27, 1949. In Feb. 1956, Indonesia abrogated the union and began seizing Dutch property in the islands.

In 1963, Netherlands New Guinea (the Dutch portion of the island of New Guinea) was transferred to Indonesia and renamed West Irian, which became Irian Jaya in 1973 and West Papua in 2000. Hatta and Sukarno, the cofathers of Indonesian independence, split over Sukarno's concept of “guided democracy,” and under Sukarno's rule the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) steadily increased its influence.

Sukarno was named president for life in 1966. He enjoyed mass support for his policies, but a growing power struggle between the military and the PKI loomed over his government. After an attempted military coup was put down by army chief of staff, General Suharto, and officers loyal to him, Suharto's forces killed hundreds of thousands of suspected Communists in a massive purge aimed at undermining Sukarno's rule.

Suharto Assumes Control and Brings a Measure of Stability

Suharto took over the reins of government and gradually eased Sukarno out of office, completing his consolidation of power in 1967. Under Suharto the military assumed an overarching role in national affairs, and relations with the West were enhanced. Indonesia's economy improved dramatically and national elections were permitted, although the opposition was so tightly controlled as to virtually choke off dissent.

Indonesia Annexes East Timor

In 1975, Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese half of the island of Timor; it seized the territory in 1976. A separatist movement developed at once. Unlike the rest of Indonesia, which had been a Dutch colony, East Timor was governed by the Portuguese for 400 years, and while 90% of Indonesians are Muslim, the East Timorese are primarily Catholic. More than 200,000 Timorese are reported to have died from famine, disease, and fighting since the annexation. In 1996, two East Timorese resistance activists, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta, received the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the summer of 1997, Indonesia suffered a major economic setback, along with most other Asian economies. Banks failed and the value of Indonesia's currency, the rupiah, plummeted. Antigovernment demonstrations and riots broke out, directed mainly at the country's prosperous ethnic Chinese. As the economic crisis deepened, student demonstrators occupied the national parliament, demanding Suharto's ouster. On May 21, 1998, Suharto stepped down, ending 32 years of rule, and handed over power to Vice President B. J. Habibie.

June 7, 1999, marked Indonesia's first free parliamentary election since 1955. The ruling Golkar Party took a backseat to the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), led by Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia's first president.

Basketball in America: A History

An American game that has traveled well is basketball, now played by more than 250 million people worldwide in an organized fashion, as well as by countless others in "pick-up" games. Basketball originated in 1891 when a future Presbyterian minister named James Naismith (1861-1939) was assigned to teach a physical education class at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. The class had been noted for being disorderly, and Naismith was told to invent a new game to keep the young men occupied. Since it was winter and very cold outside, a game that could be played indoors was desirable.

Naismith thought back to his boyhood in Canada, where he and his friends had played "duck on a rock," which involved trying to knock a large rock off a boulder by throwing smaller rocks at it. He also recalled watching rugby players toss a ball into a box in a gymnasium. He had the idea of nailing up raised boxes into which players would attempt to throw a ball. When boxes couldn't be found, he used peach baskets. According to Alexander Wolff, in his book 100 Years of Hoops, Naismith drew up the rules for the new game in "about an hour." Most of them still apply in some form today.

James Naismith

Basketball caught on because graduates of the YMCA school traveled widely, because Naismith disseminated the rules freely, and because there was a need for a simple game that could be played indoors during winter. Naismith's legacy included the first great college basketball coach, Forrest "Phog" Allen (1885-1974), who played for Naismith at the University of Kansas and went on to win 771 games as a coach at Kansas himself. Among Allen's star players was Wilt Chamberlain, who became one of professional basketball's first superstars -- one night in 1962, he scored a record 100 points in a game.

The first professional basketball league was formed in 1898; players earned $2.50 for home games, $1.25 for games on the road. Not quite 100 years later, Juwan Howard, a star player for the Washington Bullets (now called the Washington Wizards), had competing offers of more than $100 million over seven seasons from the Bullets and the Miami Heat.

Many teams in the National Basketball Association now have foreign players, who return home to represent their native countries during the Olympic Games. The so-called Dream Team, made up of the top American professional basketball players, has represented the United States in recent Olympic Games. In 1996 the Dream Team trailed some opponents until fairly late in the games—an indication of basketball's growing international status. In Athens in 2004 Argentina took home the gold, the first time a Latin American country won the basketball honor.

Source from factmonster.com

10 Deadliest Hurricanes

1. 1970 Bhola Cyclone

Taking the cake for the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded the 1970 Bhola Cyclone hit East Pakistan (Bangladesh today) and India's West Bengal on November 12, 1970. While the exact death toll is unknown it is estimated that 300,000-500,000 people perished in the aftermath of this storm, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters recent history.

This cyclone was not extremely large, reaching strengths equivalent of a Category 3 Hurricane. The killing power of this storm was almost completely attributed to the cyclone's surge which flooded most of the low lying islands in the Ganges Delta, literally wiping villages and crops off the face of the earth.

2. Typhoon Nina 1975

Not to be known as some regular typhoon Super Typhoon Nina came onto the scene with a bang, hitting China hard and quickly destroying the Banqiao Dam. The collapse of the Banqiao Dam led to such great flooding that it set off a series of dam collapses throughout China, greatly magnifying the damage caused by Typhoon Nina.

With a 100,000+ death toll Super Typhoon Nina is the 2nd deadliest Typhoon in recorded history though we think it should be #1 since the most deadly typhoon, which hit Haiphong, Vietnam in 1881, didn't even get a name.

3. Hurricane Kenna

Kenna, a category 5 hurricane, was the 3rd most intense Pacific hurricane to ever strike Mexico's West Coast. Hitting San Blas, Nayarit on October 25th, 2002 was the 3rd cat 5 hurricane of the hurricane season. 140 mph winds and a 16 foot surge devastated the coast line causing $101 million dollars in damage.

4. Hurricane Pauline

Not happy to just be one of the most destructive Pacific hurricanes to make landfall in Mexico, Hurricane Pauline had to be one of the deadliest too.

Working it's way up the Mexican coastline Pauline dumped torrential rain falls with 16" of rain in Acapulco alone! The relentless downpour caused disastrous land slides in some of Mexico's poorest villages, killing roughly 250-400 people and leaving a striking 300,000 people homeless.

Beyond all the lives destroyed Hurricane Pauline caused a massive amount of damage, exceeding $7.5 billion (USD 1997).

5. Hurricane Iniki

When people think of Hawaii they often imagine lazy days of surfing and long luaus that go into the night. The last thing most people think of is hurricanes yet in September of 1992 that's just what they got.

Born from the strong El Nino warm phase of 91-94 Hurricane Iniki reached cat 4 level winds as the eye passed over the island of Kauaʻi.

Not surprisingly the Hawaiians handled the effects of Hurricane Iniki amazingly well. Communities held parties to cook all the perishable food since the power was knocked out. Grocery stores offered free food to anyone who needed it while most insisted on paying anyways. While there was some looting in the aftermath of the storm though it was very limited in comparison to what happened in Katrina and other disasters.

Amazingly there were only 6 deaths attributed to Hurricane Iniki although the islanders were given less than 24 hours notice. The monetary damage however was huge for the small island, totalling over $1.8 billion (USD 1992).

6. Galveston Hurricane of 1900

The year was 1900, the place was Galveston Texas. On September 4th a warning was released saying a large tropical storm had just passed Cuba and was headed west across the Gulf of Mexico.

Even though the US Weather Bureau had warning that a large storm was on its way their policy at the time was to avoid pesky words like "hurricane" or "tornado" to avoid giving people a chance to escape oops, I mean to avoid panic.

In this case panic is really what the people of Galveston should have done as there was a big ass storm on it's way and they were grossly unprepared.

In 1900 Galveston was only about 9 feet above sea level which was a bit too low. When the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on September 8th it brought a 15 foot tall storm surge along with 135mph winds, making it a category 4 hurricane. The surge was so powerful it washed over the entire island, knocking buildings off their foundations and then pounding them into scraps of wood. In total over 3600 houses were destroyed.

The Galveston Hurricane is the deadliest natural disaster to ever hit the US, claiming over 6,000 lives. The total damages exceeded $20 million in 1900 dollars, which is over $500 million in todays dollars (inflation is no joke!).

7. Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike is in the top 3 for most destructive hurricane's to ever hit with $24 billion (2008 USD) in the United States, with additional damage of $7.3 billion in Cuba, $200 million in the Bahamas, and $500 million in the Turks and Caicos, amounting to a total of $32 billion in damages.

Hurricane Ike results in at least 195 deaths all the way from Haiti to Galveston and many places in between.

8. The Great Hurricane 1780

Holding the record as the deadliest Atlantic hurricane this storm devastated Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Lesser Antilles, Bermuda, and possibly Florida and other States.

While the total damages are unknown the death toll was well over 22,000 people, more than any other decade of Atlantic hurricanes.

9. Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew was the only named hurricane for the 1992 season but boy did it make it's mark. Wreaking havoc across the northwestern Bahamas, southern Florida and southwest Louisiana. Andrew caused $26.5 billion (USD 1992) in damage though some sources place this number closer to $34 billion.

Even with all the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew the death toll was very low, with 26 deaths caused directly by the hurricane and 39 as secondary deaths.

10. Hurricane Katrina

Still fresh in the memories of American's, especially those from New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane in US history as well as one of the 5 most deadliest ever recorded. Knocking out levies in Louisiana Katrina caused over 80% of New Orleans to flood before moving into the northeastern United States dumping rain all across the area.

By far the largest natural disaster to ever hit the US Hurricane Katrina is $80 billion (2008 USD) in damages and killed 1,836 people with 705 still missing.

One thing that stands out about the Katrina disaster is the utter failure of FEMA or any other government agency to provide support and rescue services to the areas. Lawlessness was rampant with police shooting innocent civilians and going door to door confiscating guns from American citizens in dry areas just trying to defend their homes.

The remnants of Hurricane Katrina are still evident in New Orleans even as efforts to rebuild the city are still under way.

Source form ranker.com