Awareness is Protection
Essential Information on these Natural Disasters
Americans are no strangers to hurricanes, which are also known as cyclones and typhoons. Till now, we have not been able to tame these monster storms, but learning about how hurricanes form is essential for disaster management. This is especially necessary since even scientists are not certain of the dynamics of this phenomena.
Basically, hurricanes are storm systems that are very powerful and destructive. They form over warm ocean water and produce strong winds along with heavy rain. These storm systems take their power from warm, moist air.
Hurricanes are more destructive than tropical storms. Technically, a tropical storm is classified as a hurricane if it as maximum sustained winds of more than 74 mph. Up to 95 mph, we have a Category 1 hurricane. Category 2 has winds ranging from 85-110 mph, Category 3 111-130 mph, Category 4, 131-155mph, and Category 5 156 and beyond.
It is also helpful to identify the main areas that are most vulnerable to these natural disasters in the US. The following areas are the most vulnerable to hurricanes, as per Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center: New Orleans, Lake Okeechobee, Florida Keys, Coastal Mississippi, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Galveston/Houston, Cape Hatteras, Eastern Long Island, Wilmington, and Tampa/St. Petersburg.
Scientists have been trying to tame hurricanes for a long time, but nothing successful has come forth. A notable example is Project Stormfury, which was launched in the 1960s. In this project, scientists attempted to freeze winds, thereby reducing their power, by seeding clouds with silver iodide during hurricanes. But the desired results were far from achieved and the project was abandoned.
For this reason, the best thing is try to reduce damage, especially in terms of human lives, when hurricanes happen.
Fatima M.
Freelance Blogger
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