However, as time went on, the possible impacts of the storm became more apparent. The media had the delicate mission of properly conveying potential danger without provoking accusations of creating unnecessary panic. By October 27th, residents in potential areas of impact were instructed to board their windows shut and stock up on food and water (5). Generators were sold out in supply stores throughout the region, in anticipation of potential power outages (5). Despite this, there remained some contradictions between various coverages of the storm; certain forecasters warned that the storm’s path was still subject to change, while the National Hurricane Center combatted these claims, saying that “it was no longer a question of if the storms …show more content…
A category 1 hurricane would typically be expected to have a compact sector of very strong winds, but Sandy’s energy was spread over an area that extended 485 miles from the center at landfall (1). This put the media in a difficult position; they had to convey the dangers of the hurricane in terms that would resonate with the public despite its status as category 1. A televised CNN report on October 29th, just as Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, reported that 23 states were under wind warning or advisory, emphasizing the wind speeds and the storm surge as opposed to the dangers that the storm would bring. There is no discussion of preparation methods or mitigation, only objective fact about the storm’s recent path and speculation about what is to come (6). This resulted in miscommunication and confusion, as people were not responding to warnings of high wind speeds with as much trepidation as they would for reports of a high category hurricane. During this report, Anderson Cooper expresses his awareness of this potential miscommunication, attempting to emphasize that although the storm is only a category 1, there is still a huge threat posed on residents due to the duration and size of the storm (6). Despite this, Sandy’s impacts exceeded the expectations of many
Royer, Jordan. “Hurricane Sandy and the importance of being FEMA”, Crosscut.com, Crosscut.com, Web. 1 Nov 2012, 3 May 2014.
In 2008 Hurricane Ike made land fall to the east coast line in Galveston Texas. The storm surge water that Ike produced flooded the east coast region of Houston and Galveston. It has been estimated over billions of dollars in damage to home owners, business owners, and cause numerus of deaths. The mass destruction that Ike caused had people coming up ways to prevent or lessen the effects if a storm like this would ever occur in the future. A storm surge project was drafted and submitted to politicians is being delayed due to funding issues. Money should not be the major delay when it comes to saving homeowners, business owners, and a life of a person.
Hurricane Harvey was one of the most devastating hurricanes to strike the United States in several years. Harvey resulted in over eighty fatalities and over 150 billion dollars in damages. This proves to be one of the most destructive hurricanes to be recorded. The overwhelming damage was caused by many different aspects; however, three of the greatest aspects are: varying weather patterns throughout the storm, the city structure of Houston, Texas, and the lack of evacuation. Each of these factors affected the city in a different way, but all resulted in a common outcome, devastation.
Hurricane Andrew also caused many short and long term effects on the ecosystem and local economies. Leading up to this storm, many prominent scientists believed that the hurricane would never make landfall, or if it did hit, would not cause any major damage. Due to this foolhardy belief held by the scientists, many civilians did not have any time to evacuate their homes and barely escaped with their loved ones and whatever small valuables or keepsakes they could grab. Regretfully, many families had to leave everything they had behind. Hurricane Andrew also damaged the livelihoods of many small shop owners and farms and caused long-term problems as well.
In response to the damage caused by Hurricane Isabel, Virginia Governor Mark Warner described it as, “Probably the worst storm in a generation” (Washington Post, Ambrose). This was certainly not an overstatement as the National Weather Service reported that Isabel created 925 million dollars of damage in the state of Virginia alone (Johnson). While Isabel was not the most intense storm once it reached the United States, the size of this storm and the population of the area it impacted was why it caused so much damage (Johnson). This paper will discuss the science behind the creation of this storm, the impact of the storm in Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding areas, and the efforts to decrease the effects of the storm along with what could have further prevented any damages.
Hurricane Katrina left a devastating scar on the citizens of the southern coast of the U.S., especially New Orleans, Louisiana. The category 5 hurricane was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the most deadly. Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29th, 2005 and after that day, 66,000 people were displaced from their homes. Of those who decided to ride out the storm with hopes of success and survival as they had experienced with other storms, they were found on their rooftops, in their attics, hoping for boat or helicopter rescue, relying on others for help to survive. The storm had reached 28,000 square feet inward to Louisiana, which was 60 percent of the state. 1,100 Louisianans lost their lives, and 200,000 were displaced and/or lost their homes (Davis 8). It was a devastating time of despair and suffering. People were put through experiences that would scar them for a long time. While preparing for evacuation, people left most of their belongings at home to flee to a safer city or to find shelter in the Superdome and Convention Center. Some even decided to remain in their boarded up homes. After the hurricane had past, a few hours went by and a levee located near the Mississippi River canal broke leaving New Orleans flooded (Delisi). After the disaster, the state and federal governments were pointing fingers at each other as to who was to blame for the poorly planned evacuation and rescue efforts for the victims. The state government promised to help evacuate those who could not transport themselves. Citizens were told to go to the Superdome and convention center for evacuation, but the supplies needed for survi...
On August 29, 2005, the third strongest and biggest hurricane ever recorded in American history hit the Gulf Coast at eight o’clock a.m. The interaction between a tropical depression and a tropical wave created a tropical storm later referred to as Hurricane Katrina (FAQS, 2013). Forming over the Bahamas, Hurricane Katrina gradually strengthened as it moved closer and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Recorded on August 28th, 2005, Katrina jumped from a category three storm to a category five storm with maximum sustained winds up to 160 miles per hour. Although other hurricanes, such as Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma, exceeded Katrina, this dominant storm was classified as the fourth most intense hurricane based its pressure capacity. Once Hurricane Katrina hit land, it was pronounced as a category four storm moving slowly. While people thought that the slow speed of this storm prevented trauma, records show that Katrina did more damage than any fast-moving storm could have ever achieved (Solanki, 2013). Katrina produced abundant debris. The debris was in such large quantity that if it was stacked together on a football field, the rubble would reach the elevation of ten and a half miles. The size of Katrina also caused 90,000 square miles to be affected. Once proclaimed a category three storm, Hurricane Katrina slowed to the speed of 155 miles per hour. At this point in time, Katrina proved to be the sixth most prevailing hurricane traced in history. (Solanki, 2013). Several different aspects of life were impacted by Hurricane Katrina such as availability of gasoline, economic issues, and the ability to have an adequate supply of drinking water (Solanki, 2013). Hurricane Katrina was a large storm ...
In the article Under Water by Kate Sheppard, the author addresses the issue of natural disaster more specifically super-storms that highly endanger people who live on coastal counties throughout the U.S. Sheppard primarily addresses this article to the 39% of American population who live on coastal counties that are likely to get flooded, and to the governmental authorities who rather spend billions of dollars fixing damages caused by super-storms instead of taking precautions to prepare for them. Sheppard relies on extrinsic proofs to claim that people pretend like there will not be another major super-storm that will happen in the near future while weather changes and data have shown otherwise, and as
Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane at its highest, made impact between August 23-30th 2005, and has since gone down as the most devastating and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. In preparation for the impact of the storm, on August 27th 2005, two days before the hurricane made landfall, President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Waterford nuclear plant was shut down for precautionary reasons in the wake of the oncoming storm and mandatory evacuations were issued for large parts of the southeast. Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans stated that about 80% of the 480,000 people asked to evacuate heeded warnings. Evacuation orders were also made for areas along the Mississippi coast, low-lying coastal areas in Alabama, as well as the barrier islands in western Florida Panhandle.
Hurricanes are formed over tropical waters. These intense storms consist of winds over 74 miles per hour (Ahrens & Sampson, 2011). The storms addressed here are Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. This paper will explore the contrasts and comparisons between these two horrific storms.
Hurricane Maria was destructive and caused a large amount of damage to the entire island of Puerto Rico. Maria hit on September 20 and was a category four hurricane, nearly a category five. Hurricane Maria has had a tremendous impact on the lives of Puerto Ricans and even the world.
Hurricanes in recent years have left people across the world in awe of Mother Nature. When you reside in a place that is likely to be affected by hurricanes, you must prepare for the inevitable. To those who live in St. Kitts, the rich culture, spectacular scenery, and relaxed lifestyle are worth the extra effort involved with planning for the occasional storm.
What is the definition of hurricane? Include where hurricanes occur, the weather condition they produce, and if there are any other names used to describe the same type of storms.
Hurricanes occur all over the world, at different times, but commonly through June first and late November. However in late August 2005 a catastrophic hurricane struck. This was Hurricane Katrina. With winds traveling over one hundred miles per hour making it a category five on the Saffir- Simpson Hurricane Scale it was said to have cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage. Hurricane Katrina flooded nearly forty thousand homes, and killed at least two thousand people (“Hurricane”). An average category five hurricane has enough energy to power street lamps for more than twenty seven thousand hours (Williams 58). Knowing about Hurricane Katrina, and the devastation of the city in New Orleans would be beneficial. Also, general information on hurricanes can help civilians and people of higher authority better understand and prepare for damage that could once hit their town and community. Because experts know the general information on these storms they can help explain to the public why and how Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes occur. Hopefully, in the future civilians will know and use this information to their advantage against hurricanes.
Tornadoes are destructive forces of nature that can form rapidly and devastate towns and communities but with proper education and preparation, the damage can be minimal. Tornadoes are defined as “a violently rotating, tall, narrow column of air (that is, a vortex), typically about 300 ft. (100m) in diameter, that extends to the ground from a cumulonimbus cloud” (Davies-Jones 1). Tornadoes are notorious for forming in the central part of the United States, and most of them do, but they can form also form in many other parts of the world including Russia, China, South Africa, and Australia.