Ella Koeppern
Hurricanes have significantly affected the Southeastern regions of the United States over the long term, devastating businesses and homes, claiming hundreds of lives and disrupting livelihoods.
“strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend region on record,”
According to ABC News, Storm Helene, the “strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big
Bend region on record,” carved a path of destruction from Florida to Asheville, North
Carolina, by the end of September—nearly 400 miles from where it began. Storm Helene
was seen as a category 4 storm with 140 mph winds. The Associated Press reported on
Monday, October 7th, Helene has claimed the lives of at least 230 people, with hundreds still missing and widespread power and cell phone outages.
But this wasn’t the end, as many Floridians will know by now…
“already a storm for the record books.”
Storm Milton was announced to the world on Monday 7 th October. Judson Jones, a
meteorologist and reporter for the NY Times claimed Milton was “already a storm for the
record books.” The hurricane went from a Category 1 storm at midnight to a Category 5
hurricane by noon. The standard meteorological definition of “rapid intensification” is 30
knots in 24 hours, and Milton increased by more than double this definition on Monday.
Astronaut Matthew Dominick posted a timelapse of Hurricane Milton from the window of the
Dragon Endeavour docked on the International Space Station. It showed the massive
storm traversing the Gulf of Mexico heading for the Florida Peninsula, warning of a serious
threat to the Floridians. Many meteorologists have stated that Milton is expected to stop
intensifying once it reaches Florida’s Gulf Coast and has already weakened to a category 4
storm by Tuesday, but they advise caution.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the average amount of hurricanes per decade is
17.7 and the average amount of major hurricanes by the Saffir-Simpson Category is 5.6! From
the extent of damage to the number of people who lose their lives and homes during these
hurricanes, it has always been a huge burden on Floridians, impacting them yearly or bi-
yearly.
less than 20% of their homes had coverage through the National Flood Insurance
Program.
The NY Times found that in counties that were under evacuation orders in 2022 for
Storm Ian, less than 20% of their homes had coverage through the National Flood Insurance
Program. The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) found, based on data from 2009 to 2018, that
renters (more than 1/3 of the population) living along the East and Gulf coasts of the United
States face rent increases, higher eviction rates and a lack of affordable housing in the
aftermath of the hurricane.
deepens existing social and economic inequalities
Hurricanes have increasingly exposed economic disparities, particularly in Florida, where underprivileged communities suffer the most. The repeated destruction of fragile infrastructure and homes in these areas deepens existing social and economic inequalities, as they recover more slowly after each storm.
Charities and organisations such as the American Red Cross, GlobalGiving, and Direct Relief
work tirelessly to provide short-term solutions such as emergency response, debris cleanup and home repair. Alexander Puutio explains in his Forbes article that this isn’t enough and it is not the fault of these non-profit organisations but of the system; long-term solutions and more training and education should be made to prepare for these future yearly or bi-yearly disasters.
Ella Koeppern
Featured image courtesy of Library of Congress via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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