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The deadliest hurricanes in recent US history

After almost a week of having made landfall in northwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane, Helene is currently responsible for more than 200 deaths and is already the second deadliest cyclone recorded in the continental United States in the last 50 years.

Ahead of him, and with a considerable advantage, Hurricane Katrina tops the list, which with 1,392 deaths attributed is among the five most lethal tropical cyclones in the history of the United States, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of this country.

These are the deadliest hurricanes that have impacted the continental United States in the last 50 years:

  • Katrina (2005).- The immense hurricane Katrina hit the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005. It made landfall first at Keating Beach, Florida, like a category 1 cyclone, and then reached Louisiana and Mississippi with category 3. The highest number of deaths was reported in the city of New Orleans (Louisiana), which recorded catastrophic floods due to the storm surge.

According to NHC records, Katrina is surpassed by the hurricane known as Great Galveston, in Texas, from 1900 and which is estimated to have claimed at least 8,000 lives, as well as Lake Okeechobee, in Florida, from 1928 and responsible for about 2,500 deaths.

  • Helene (2024).- She entered through northwest Florida, in the area known as Big Bend, on the night of September 26 with category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (of a maximum of 5) and from there left a tra trile of at least 800 kilometers of devastation by six states in the southeast of the United States. In North Carolina, the death toll amounts to almost a hundred, especially in the area south of the Appalachian Mountains, but the authorities do not rule out that the number will increase in the coming days.
  • Ian (2022).- The powerful Hurricane Ian entered the United States through the west coast of Florida and, like Helene, did it with category 4. It left 156 deaths mainly in Florida, in addition to North Carolina and Virginia. After destroying more than 19,000 homes and buildings in Lee County, where Fort Myers is settled, Ian landed again in South Carolina.
  • The “superstorm” Sandy (2012).- It produced at least 147 direct deaths and a catastrophic storm surge on the coasts of New York and New Jersey, where it made landfall at the end of October as a gigantic posttropical cyclone.
  • Harvey (2017).- It produced rains of historical records in Houston, Texas, a state whose central coast facing the Gulf of Mexico it made landfall on August 25, as a category 4 hurricane. The death toll reached 103 and caused destruction in that state and in Louisiana.

Other noteworthy hurricanes are Agnes (1972), which claimed 128 lives, especially in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia and Maryland, where significant floods were recorded after the cyclone made landfall in northwest Florida as a category 1 hurricane.

Similarly, Hurricane Audrey, which made landfall in Louisiana in June 1957 with category 3, and was responsible for more than 400 deaths after registering a storm surge of up to 3.5 meters (12 feet) in areas of that state and Texas.

And finally, Hurricane Maria, category 4, which devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017 and is considered the most destructive in the recent history of the Caribbean island, which was almost entirely without electricity. Although at first 67 deaths were attributed to him, a subsequent study by George Washington University commissioned by the Government of Puerto Rico, raised the number of fatalities to 2,975.

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International

Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust

Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.

Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.

The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.

Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.

Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.

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U.S. and Iran Maintain Ceasefire as Trump Expresses Optimism Over New Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that there are “good chances” of reaching an agreement with Iran, as both sides maintained a ceasefire for the third consecutive day following weeks of escalating hostilities.

Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of resuming diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, which began in late February and has raised international concerns over its impact on global markets and energy supplies.

The fighting has remained suspended since Saturday, after the United States resumed airstrikes against Iran amid a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. The renewed military action had previously caused the collapse of an earlier ceasefire agreement.

Asked about the prospects for negotiations aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “I have a lot of patience… We’ll see what happens. I think there are good chances that something could happen.”

The U.S. president also highlighted Washington’s military capabilities, saying: “We have a lot of ammunition,” while adding that he would like to have more resources due to U.S. support for Ukraine.

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump was allowing diplomatic efforts more time, explaining that the president was “giving some space to the talks” while maintaining that Washington remains prepared to take action if necessary.

Meanwhile, tensions continue in other areas of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia reported that it intercepted drones launched from Iraq by groups allied with Tehran and urged the Iraqi government to take measures to prevent further attacks.

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International

Police Investigate After Remains of Five Newborns Found in French Apartment

French authorities have opened a murder investigation after the discovery of human remains believed to belong to five newborn babies inside an apartment in the historic center of a city, the local prosecutor’s office reported Monday night.

According to prosecutors, a 32-year-old woman had given birth at home on Sunday to a healthy baby before being taken to a hospital for medical care.

The discovery was made after the woman’s 32-year-old partner began searching the residence after reportedly learning, once again and at a late stage, that she had been pregnant.

During the search, the man found what appeared to be human remains and informed the hospital, which then alerted prosecutors.

A forensic doctor determined that the remains likely belonged to five newborn infants. Authorities have not yet established the circumstances or motive behind the case.

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Investigators have not been able to interview the mother, who remains hospitalized following the delivery.

Prosecutors also confirmed that the couple has two other children, aged eight and nine years old. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to clarify the events surrounding the discovery.

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