Recently, natural disasters are emerging all over the world. From hurricanes to earthquakes, these events have destroyed homes and left many families broken. Recent catastrophic hurricanes with the deceptively innocent names of Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, and Maria have terrorized millions.  Since August, these violent storms are on the warpath, leaving destruction in their wake.

In Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, 103 people died and the hurricane season isn’t officially over until the end of November. In addition to the many lives lost, trees were ripped from the ground, homes destroyed, and electrical towers were brought down leaving many states without power. In total there are 7,672,830 people who are without power in America.The victims also had to withstand floods and extra storms.

The regions affected by Hurricane Harvey are Texas, Louisiana, Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, the Windward Islands, and the Eastern Islands,  located in the Caribbean. Like Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Harvey caused many floods, but also brought many illnesses like vomiting, fever, and dehydration.

Meteorologists predict there to be more violent hurricanes to come, making 2017 one of the worst recorded hurricane years. In 2005, parts of the US were battered by Hurricane Katrina, the most expensive natural disaster to ever hit the US. According to Time Magazine, the damage caused by Katrina had a value of $211 billion. The cost of damage caused in 2017 has already reached $200 billion, which means that this year, hurricanes may overtake that of 2005.

Hurricane Maria, which started September 18th, currently terrorizes Puerto Rico with its violent winds and colossal floods. Currently, there are many ships carrying supplies to help provide safety for the evacuees. Still to this day, half of Puerto Rico is without drinking water. Hurricane Maria whirls through Hurricane Irma’s territory, destroying more than Hurricane Irma did.  Maria is a category five hurricane and has so far caused fifty nine deaths and is affecting The Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, and Haiti. With winds reaching up to 65-100 mph, this hurricane was very dangerous. Hurricane Maria is causing devastation on the island of Puerto Rico, just east of the Dominican Republic. Maria’s winds are as strong as Irma’s were, and the island has had flooding as serious as that caused by Harvey. The storm has also caused extensive damage to Guajataca dam, which means even more residents will suffer when the water breaks through it. Even though the US is responsible for Puerto Rico, the relief effort has been slow to come.”This has been catastrophic, I don’t want to mince words,” said John Rabin, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region II, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hurricane Maria knocked out all of the electricity on the island, and many roads are now blocked. This will make the relief effort even more difficult, and makes some remote towns and villages even more isolated.This past year there have been many natural disasters. The death count keeps rising in Puerto Rico. As of today, there are thirty-four people dead. In the future there may be even more severe and damaging hurricanes.   

Sources

http://readymarin.org