Storm surge a bigger killer than wind when a major hurricane hits [Video]

In 2005, Hurricane Dennis landed near the Alabama-Florida state line as a Category 3 hurricane. Far to the east, Florida’s Big Bend — where Hurricane Helene came ashore on Thursday night — never even felt tropical storm-strength winds, but it was still hit with a mass of water in 2005 that devasted coastal communities.That’s storm surge. It’s more deadly and destructive than wind and can make a significant impact far from the center of a storm.Related video above: FEMA prepares to respond to dangerous storm surge, flash flooding in Hurricane Helene’s aftermathThe most common way to measure a hurricane’s strength is the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which assigns a category from 1 to 5 based on a storm’s sustained wind speed at its center, with 5 being the strongest. But that only tells part of the story.While wind can tear off roofs, knock down trees and snap power lines, storm surge can …