Be a force of nature

Hurricane Florence recently hit the Carolina coast and is continuing to bring massive flooding and rain to that area. There are a few things you should keep in mind if you are ever in an area where hurricanes tend to occur.

• Hurricanes like warm water. They grow in intensity and strength over warmer bodies of water. It can also cause them to move at different speeds. (This is another concern scientists have when it comes to warming water temperatures)
• The threats of hurricanes don’t stop at high winds and rain. They also bring with them something called “storm surge” this is a flooding of ocean water inland that can cause destruction to any buildings along the coast.
• Hurricanes are named in alphabetical order based on when they form. Some move slower than others so they may make land falls at different times.
• Threats can also come after the storm has passed through food shortages, power outages, injuries that are not treated, problems of health care reaching those in need.
• Hurricanes can also cause rain, tornadoes, and flooding in areas states away
• If you decide to stay make sure you have enough water (for drinking and in case you need to bath use the restroom), some dry food that doesn’t need refrigerating, battery powered flash lights and radio, make sure you also tell someone outside of the city where you are

Meteorologists devote their lives to studying these storms, so it baffles me when people do not heed warnings to evacuate. We all specialize in our own things. We trust doctors to help us when we are sick, we trust police officers to enforce the laws, we trust teachers to teach our children. We should trust our scientists when they dedicate their lives to studying the world around us. It is a field built on solid repeatable facts with no political agenda. These facts lay the foundation for everything we know/do today from how we keep our feet on the ground through gravity, to the fact that the Earth is round, all the way to how beer is brewed!

These storms are a force of nature that we need to respect. They have the power to reshape our coastlines, decimate cities, and cause harm to the local populations. There are many reasons why people don’t leave when storms are coming there way, maybe they can’t because of monetary reasons or health reasons. There are other people who don’t trust the government or meteorologists when they report out the storm warnings. There are also others who don’t believe the storm will be as bad as predicted. In these latter cases I would think that it would be better safe than sorry.

Natural disasters have been happening since the beginning of time and will continue after we are gone from this world, but they are getting worse, their outcomes more dramatic. The impact we have on the world, the influence we have on climate change is also having an impact on the force of our natural disasters. They act almost as natures way of trying to reset the balance on our planet and we should respect the power they have.

*https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/florence-strengthens-category-4-hurricane