Destructive Hurricanes, 4-7

The following hurricanes combined caused more than $8.7 billion in damages.

4. The Great Labor Day Storm: September 1935

In little more than 24 hours, this storm went from a category 1 to a category 5, where it remained when it struck the Florida Keys, making it the first hurricane of such intensity to strike the United States. With wind speeds reaching 200 miles per hour and a 15-foot storm surge, this cataclysmic hurricane caused $6 million in damages.

Of the more than 420 people killed in the storm, about 260 of them were World War I veterans who were in the region building bridges as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The flimsy camps that housed the veterans were no match for this wicked storm, and the train sent to rescue them was blown off the tracks.

5. The New England Hurricane: September 1938

Normally, hurricanes thrive on the warm, tropical waters along the southeastern coast of the United States. But this storm had other plans, striking the northeastern United States instead. With winds gusting at more than 100 miles per hour, the eye of this hurricane struck Long Island, New York, but winds and massive rainfall wreaked havoc in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and caused damage in Montreal as well.

Dubbed the "Long Island Express," the storm killed 700 people, injured 700 more, and caused $306 million in damages. It also brought a 12- to 16-foot storm surge that destroyed more than 8,000 homes and 6,000 boats.

6. Hurricane Camille: August 1969

With wind gusts exceeding 200 miles per hour and a 20-foot storm surge, Camille was the second category 5 hurricane to hit the United States. The massive storm struck along the mouth of the Mississippi River and flattened nearly everything along Mississippi's coastline. After pounding the Gulf Coast, Camille moved inland and caused heaving flooding and landslides in Virginia. In total, Camille caused more than $1.4 billion in damages and 259 deaths.

7. Hurricane Hugo: September 1989

The strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Camille, Hugo struck near Charleston, South Carolina, as a category 4 storm with winds surpassing 135 miles per hour and a 20-foot storm surge. Hugo was also responsible for an estimated 85 deaths and $7 billion in damage, making it the costliest hurricane at the time.

The nation's most expensive, and one of its worst, natural disasters finishes up the list on the next page.