Buzz
Hurricanes rank among nature’s most powerful forces. With immense might comes unpredictability... though, let’s be real, hurricanes aren’t held to any moral code. (Apologies, Spider-Man.)
Yet, they do leave behind some fascinating remnants. From displacing ancient relics to setting free the largest alligator, it’s just the beginning. These superstorms have even cracked cold cases, frightened the online world with mythical creatures, and left behind some truly remarkable survivors.
10. Cows on a Tour of Islands
Cedar Island is known for its wild herds of horses and cattle. After Hurricane Dorian made landfall in North Carolina in 2019, locals went to check on the animals. Sadly, they discovered that 17 cows and 28 horses were missing. Their worst fears were realized when some horse bodies began washing up on the shore. The remaining missing animals were believed to have drowned as well.
Cape Lookout National Seashore lies about 6–8 kilometers (4–5 miles) from Cedar Island. It’s not exactly a quick trip for cows. Yet, three of the missing cows were found grazing happily on Cape Lookout.
How they managed to reach the island alive remains a mystery. Even if the storm surge carried them, it’s nothing short of a miracle that they survived being tossed around in the unforgiving sea the entire way.
9. Civil War-Era Cannonballs
After Hurricane Dorian passed through South Carolina, a couple set out to search the beach for interesting finds. The area, Folly Beach, had already yielded 16 Civil War-era cannonballs after Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016. The couple discovered two more cannonballs from the same conflict. Initially, they thought the weathered objects were rocks, but a closer inspection revealed one complete cannonball and a partial shell.
The authorities took the discovery seriously and roped off the area. The myth that all cannonballs are solid metal is a dangerous misconception. Some contain gunpowder and are live explosives.
The two artifacts likely contained gunpowder, as most of those from the Hurricane Michael find did. Explosive experts took over the situation, and the cannonballs were probably destroyed for safety reasons.
8. Irma Wrapped Up a Police Investigation
In 2013, Rodelson Normil decided to take a dip in the ocean. The 17-year-old was last seen near Gulfstream Park when a riptide dragged him into the open water. His body was never recovered. Four years later, Hurricane Irma struck the area. Among the debris washed ashore by the storm was a human bone.
The femur was sent to a laboratory in Texas for analysis. Since Normil had been known to disappear in the area, scientists collected DNA from his toothbrush and his parents.
The DNA from the family and the toothbrush matched the bone’s DNA, confirming that the teenager hadn’t survived. The case was officially closed as an “accidental drowning.”
7. Floating Fire Ant Nests
When Hurricane Florence swept through the Carolinas in 2018, it brought with it catastrophic flooding to several neighborhoods. Beneath the water, many dangers were concealed, from snakes to fallen power lines. But an additional hazard floated openly on the surface—angry fire ant colonies.
When floods strike, this particular species of ant survives by forming a living raft. This raft consists of all the ants huddling together, along with their eggs, larvae, and queen.
While this strategy prevents the colony from drowning, it leaves the ants highly exposed in the open water. This vulnerability makes them anything but friendly. The ants will aggressively attack anyone who disturbs them.
The excruciating sting from these ants has earned them the name “fire ants.” In the aftermath of Florence, their rafts appeared to be nothing more than harmless debris, but they were actually a very real threat to rescue workers and others navigating the floodwaters.
6. New Discoveries from a Historical Explosion
In 1816, the US Navy launched an attack on a fort in Florida. The fort housed 320 individuals, including mainly Native Americans and former African-American slaves. The defenders refused to surrender, leading to a week-long battle.
In a pivotal moment, a naval shot struck the fort’s ammunition depot, resulting in a massive explosion that claimed the lives of 270 people. The survivors later died from the blast injuries and the soldiers who overran the fort.
Years later, the site was renamed Fort Gadsden, and vegetation grew over the area. However, in 2019, Hurricane Michael brought down about 100 trees. When archaeologists returned to investigate, they uncovered fresh artifacts from that fateful day.
The root balls of the trees were found to contain remnants of ammunition from the fort’s depot, including musket balls. Over time, the trees had grown around the devastation, pushing the artifacts deeper into the soil and concealing them until Hurricane Michael uprooted the trees, exposing the hidden items.
5. Imelda Released America’s Largest Alligator
Imelda was officially categorized as a tropical storm. Had it been slightly stronger, it would have earned hurricane status. But the Gator Country team in Texas wasn’t concerned with the storm’s classification. When Imelda hit their alligator sanctuary in 2019, the results were far from manageable.
Imelda brought with it 109 centimeters (43 inches) of rainfall, flooding the Beaumont facility. The water levels surpassed the fences surrounding the alligator enclosures, threatening to release the creatures.
When the floodwaters finally receded, many alligators were missing, including Big Tex. At 4.3 meters (14 feet) long and weighing 454 kilograms (1,000 pounds), Big Tex was the largest alligator ever captured in the United States.
Fortunately for the local pets, Big Tex was found and safely returned to the sanctuary within a few days. He was also lucky in a different way—his escape occurred right during the peak of alligator hunting season.
4. Miracle the Dog
Hurricane Dorian, infamous for the island-hopping cows, also devastated the Bahamas. Along with destroying homes, the storm left many pets in peril. Animal welfare groups tirelessly rescued as many dogs as they could, but as time passed, hope began to fade that more animals would be found alive beneath the debris.
One group, Big Dog Ranch Rescue from Palm Beach County, was determined not to give up. They used drones to search the hardest-hit and most inaccessible areas. That’s when they spotted a dog trapped beneath an air conditioner in Marsh Harbor. Remarkably, despite having gone nearly four weeks without food, the dog was still alive.
The severely malnourished dog became the 138th rescue for the organization and was aptly named Miracle. After a few weeks of recovery at Big Dog Ranch, Miracle gained some weight, and the resilient pup was eventually put up for adoption.
3. Homes in the Sky
The devastation of Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012, flooding areas like the Jersey Shore. While countless properties were damaged or destroyed, the local community took an unconventional approach. Instead of relocating to safer ground, many residents decided to lift their homes higher into the air.
Years after Hurricane Sandy, the landscape of the neighborhood was forever altered. Some houses remain at ground level, while others are perched high above. Their garages are too elevated for use, and their front porches, complete with steps, now resemble unusual balconies.
2. Ophelia’s Unusual Red Sky
Hurricane Ophelia, which struck Ireland in 2017, left a lasting impact. While the damage was significant, the most striking sight came after the storm had passed. In Britain, the sky was no longer blue but instead glowed with an eerie red hue.
As Ophelia moved toward Ireland, it picked up sand from the Sahara Desert. This immense dust cloud was so large that it disrupted the atmosphere’s natural balance. Specifically, it altered the color of the sky, blocking blue and letting red wavelengths pass through.
The particles from the desert acted as a filter, allowing red light to penetrate the atmosphere while blue was reflected away. This caused the unusual red-tinted haze that lingered for at least a day.
1. The Monster of Hurricane Harvey
In 2017, Texas was struck by Hurricane Harvey. After the storm subsided, science communicator Preeti Desai took a walk along the beach and discovered a mysterious creature washed up by the hurricane.
The animal was already in a state of decomposition, which made it difficult for Desai to identify immediately. However, with its serpentine form and fang-filled jaws, it resembled a mythical sea monster.
The creature quickly became an internet sensation, capturing the attention of cryptid hunters. However, experts concluded that Desai had discovered an eel, though the exact species remained unidentified. While Desai took photographs, she unfortunately left the body behind.
After conducting DNA tests, experts identified the creature's carcass by matching it to known eel species, based on its body length and terrifying set of teeth. Potential candidates for Harvey’s sea monster include the fangtooth snake-eel, the tusky eel, and the stippled spoon-nose eel.
