Hurricane Elena was an unpredictable and damaging tropical cyclone that affected the United

States Gulf Coast in late August and early September 1985. Threatening popular tourist destinations
during Labor Day weekend, Elena repeatedly defied forecasts, triggering an unprecedented series of
evacuations; many residents and tourists were forced to leave twice in a matter of days. Elena's slow
movement off western Florida resulted in severe beach erosion and damage to coastal buildings,
roads, and seawalls. The hurricane devastated the Apalachicola Bay shellfish industry, killing off
vast oyster beds and leaving thousands of workers unemployed. Farther west, Dauphin Island in
Alabama endured wind gusts as high as 130 mph (210 km/h) and a significant storm surge. In
Mississippi, over 13,000 homes were damaged and 200 were entirely destroyed. Overall, nine
people died as a result of the hurricane: three in Florida, two in Louisiana, one in Arkansas, two in
Texas from rip currents, and one in a maritime accident. Damage totaled about $1.3 billion, and
power outages from the storm affected 550,000 homes and businesses. (Full article...)