While the entire East Coast and Gulf Coasts can experience hurricane impacts, some areas are more vulnerable than others.

According to the International Hurricane Research Center, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the 4th most vulnerable to landfalling hurricanes with New Orleans ranked number one.

Twelve criteria including storm surge, fresh water flooding, coastal flooding, and island breaching were used to evaluate the vulnerability of the U.S. mainland areas to hurricanes with hurricane frequency and storm intensity as the main determining factors.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast susceptibility to severe storm surge flooding earned the coast the number 4 ranking.

Waveland, Mississippi was struck by a 30 foot storm surge during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast devastated and a similar event occurred on a smaller scale during Camille in 1969.

New Orleans earned its number one ranking as a city below sea level with protective levees that have failed in the past, with Hurricane Katrina flooding 80% of the city!

Full Report: IHRC’s Top 10 “Most Vulnerable” Cities