After leveling several cities in the southern United States and along the Central American coast , the largest hurricane to hit the continental US in 14 years continues along the southeastern coast, flooding towns, bringing down apartment blocks and turning pine trees into two-story missiles.
Hurricane Michael made landfall shortly after noon Oct. 10 and has since claimed 32 lives and caused over 8 billion dollars in damages. Coastal cities like Mexico Beach and Panama City in Florida took the full force of the hurricane, experiencing winds up to 155 miles per hour and devastating “storm surges” (huge waves of water, sometimes 14 feet high). Hot off the tail of Hurricane Florence, the Category 4 storm continued up the East Coast, causing flooding and high-speed winds as far north as the Carolinas. While the hurricane has officially begun to dissipate out into the Atlantic Ocean, the effects are still being felt around the impacted areas in the U.S., as well as in several Central American countries. Over 1 million are without power, 264,000 in Florida alone, and countless homes have been partially or completely destroyed.
Fatalities have been minimal due to precautions and evacuations, but those at risk are not only in Florida, but elsewhere along the East Coast through dangerous conditions caused by the storm. At least one death has occurred in North Carolina, where high speed winds brought down a tree on a man’s car, and another in Georgia, where a falling carport killed an 11-year-old girl. Because of the magnitude of Hurricane Michael, other disasters are projected to spawn from the low pressure swells and other weather conditions in the wake of the storm. Already, several tornadoes are forming in Michael’s path, promising more destruction in the weeks to come.
“When you look at Florida, when you look at Georgia and all the other places that were affected, what’s happened is really incredible,” said President Donald Trump in a video address shortly after the hurricane hit. “Food is being supplied, water is being supplied, electric companies are all over. A lot of electricity is already back but much of it is going to be happening in the next short while.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has already delivered 700,000 meals and 1 million gallons of clean water to affected areas, and the aid is expected to continue.
The storm approached suddenly with the first low pressure zone, an indication of a large storm ahead, found on Oct, 2. Michael was only classified as a large hurricane late on Oct. 9, less than a day before it reached Florida. Hurricane Michael is the latest in an increasing number of intense storms in recent years. The general consensus in the meteorological community is that recent global changes in climate, caused predominantly by man-made pollutants, are likely leading to a dramatic uptick in the number and intensity of natural disasters.
According to an article by Money Magazine, while many government programs are sending both domestic and international aid to repair the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael, a number of organizations are accepting donations that will directly benefit communities that have been affected by Hurricane Michael, including American Red Cross, World Hope International, International Relief Teams, Direct Relief, DonorsChoose.org and Matthew 25: Ministries.
Brendan Lordan is a second-year student majoring in English writing. BL895080@wcupa.edu