Hurricanes are powerful and destructive forces.  They can be hundreds of miles in diameter.  The wind in and around a hurricane can blow from 70-150 miles per hours.  Most buildings can't handle that strong of a wind and this becomes disaster for people.  Hurricanes also can make huge waves which causes a lot of the deaths that happen because of hurricanes.

Hurricanes get started over warm ocean water and then get weaker when they travel over the land.  In the north hurricanes are called typhoons and in the south they are called cyclones.

In the United States most hurricanes happen in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  My Grandmother and my Uncles live in Alabama and when there is a hurricane they board up their windows and sometimes they have to leave their houses and go away from  the water.  My Uncles help because they are in the National Guard so when there is a hurricane they help people get out.  The best thing to do is listen to your radio and if they tell you to leave you should.

The National Weather Service keeps a close eye on the storms when they start so that they can warn people.  Hurricanes can happen from June to November.  Mostly they happen in September.  When the Weather Service thinks that a storm is heading toward a place they make announcements on the TV and radio.