By PARKER KOONS – For the past two months, we have been getting reports from all across the Gulf area about the multiple hurricanes to make landfall. The major hurricanes: Harvey, Irma, and Maria all were fairly well covered in the news with cleanups for the damage still taking place in the areas affected.
Recently though another hurricane has caused damage much farther from home; Hurricane Ophelia hit the coasts of Ireland, England, and Norway causing 1 billion euros in damage as well as costing 48 people their lives.
“I think that it’s very unfortunate that there are so many hurricanes and we need to continue to help rebuild after these disasters,” remarks junior Tian Schiera.
A recap of this seasons major storms starts off with the first major storm which was Harvey, a category 4 with 130 mph winds, which made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on August 25th. Harvey has been calculated to have caused somewhere between 70 billion to 200 billion in damages and has caused 90 deaths.
The next Hurricane was Irma, a category 5 with winds clocking in at 185 mph. Irma made landfall multiple times with the first being in Cuba and the second and third being in different parts of Florida. Irma cost roughly 62 billion in damages and claimed 134 lives.
The most recent major storm to affect the US was Maria which was also category five like Irma but had wind clocking in only at 175 mph. Maria has caused roughly 50 billion in damages and has killed a confirmed 93 people. Maria made landfall in both Dominica and Puerto Rico.
Hurricanes are definitely a force of nature and this hurricane season has broken many records including the highest total accumulated cyclone energy, most major storms since 2005, first season to feature two category fives make landfall since 2007, and finally it had the strongest hurricane to ever form in the Atlantic outside of the Gulf and the Caribbean Sea, Irma. “It’s very devastating that so many were affected by this tragedy,” thinks senior Sydney Shearer.
“I feel terrible, my greatest wishes go out to those affected and I hope for their quick recovery,” said junior Ella Spadafora on the destruction caused by the hurricanes.
[Photo Credit: National Hurricane Center]
Photo Caption: “Graph detailing the months during which Hurricanes are most likely to form.”
