The next storm on the list is Irma. As per other storms,  Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, is now part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore and in the early 1800s, hundreds inhabited the island.  The island town of Diamond City was named after the black and white diamond pattern that covers the lighthouse. The homes on Shackleford Banks were simply constructed of salvaged shipwreck timber.  It was a thriving fishing and whaling community but by 1902 it became a ghost town with just a handful of abandoned buildings remaining. Weatherwise magazine reported that the 800 residents on the Banks uprooted their families, abandoned the town and relocated to adjacent communities following the hurricane of 1899 which became one of the most destructive in U.S. history. Also, today marks the ninth anniversary of the worst storm that ever hit New Orleans. Katrina’s sustained winds in Baton Rouge clicked up to only 45 m.p.h. with gusts at 49 and Andrew, in 1991, recorded 70 m.p.h. gusts.  Looking back to Hurricane Betsy on September 12, 1965, sustained winds were logged at 58 m.p.h. with gusts to 92. Hurricane Gustav blasted our area with the highest sustained winds of any storm ever recorded in Baton Rouge with sustained winds of 61 m.p.h. and gusts measuring 91. We are entering the peak-period of Hurricane Season and today also marks the half-way point of Hurricane Season 2017.