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Havs l..Oll111 \ - - en rJ'L, I direct impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused major damage miles from the coastal areas. The entire state of Mississippi was declared a disaster following Hurricane Katrina. The Hays County Mitigation Planning Committee classified hurricane and tropical storm hazards as "minor" in severity and "occasional" in frequency. Hurricanes and tropical storms combine size and intensity to become one of Earth's greatest and most awesome weather vehicles of death and destruction. In addition to hurricanes and tropical storms, damage may be caused by tornadoes that are created from the storms. Hays County is located only 130 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast and subject to the aftermath of large coastal storms. Hurricane season lasts over a six-month period from June 1 to November 30. Most hurricanes occur in August, September, and October. Hurricanes are tropical cyclones in which winds reach constant speeds of 74 miles per hour or more and blow in a large spiral around a relatively calm center. Hurricanes are essentially giant whirlwinds in which air moves in a large tightening spiral around a center of extreme low pressure. Near the center, hurricane winds may gust to more than 200 miles per hour. I While hurricane winds do much damage, the storm surge and torrential rains accompanying hurricane landfall are responsible for most deaths. Historically, drowning has been the greatest cause of hurricane deaths. The storm surge raises wave heights and increases tides. Hays County is located 130 miles from the Texas Gulf Coast and subject to torrential rains from tropical storms that cause both flash flooding and sustained flooding in the area. Tropical storms are weather events similar to hurricanes but sustained winds in these storms are between thirty-nine (39) and seventy-three (73) miles per hour. Tropical storms can affect an area by dropping large amounts of rain over a sustained period of time. Again flash flooding and sustained flooding are the most deadly aspects of tropical storms. 2.14 Water Supply Interruption (Shortage) Hazard Identification: Water supply interruption or shortage is considered to be a "cascading" event that can result from flooding, drought, wildfire, extreme heat, tornado, earthquake, terrorism, HAZMAT incident, and other hazard events. Water supply interruption or shortage is considered a major event when it impacts the community's ability to fight fires and adequately distribute "potable' water. The Hays County Mitigation Planning Committee classified water supply interruption or shortage as "major" in severity and "occasional" in frequency. Water supply interruption is associated with drought, wildfire and extreme heat hazards. I Extreme weather is a frequent visitor to Hays County. During extreme weather conditions, Hays County and individual communities may experience water main breaks attributable to the Hays counl~', Texas Miligalion Plan 84