Isaac's Influence
by Cory Metzller
Do you know what the world’s largest disaster is? A hurricane. On average, 30 hurricanes are developed in tropical waters annually. To prevent confusion, they’re all named in alpha order, starting with ‘A’ every year. Before any storms are named, the low pressure system needs to become a tropical storm. Multiple factors need to chain react in order to form one of these powerhouses. Hurricanes are very powerful, causing chaos in cities, and possibly even death. No matter the destructive power, every hurricane has the chance to bring relief to draught stricken areas.
A common misconception is that hurricanes are created by high winds. In fact, air resting on the surface of warm tropic water lowers the water’s temperature, causing moisture and heat to rise. A reaction of this is a rush of air that fills the vacuum, causing a low pressure. As this low pressure twirls, warm waters intensify the wind speeds. After reaching 35 miles per hour, an “eye” is created, thus a tropical storm manifests.
Then, after making land fall, a tropical storm can cause storm surges. A surge is a heavy wave. Slower moving tropical storms can cause more damage than a faster mone. Millions of gallons of rain can be dumped per day. Buildings topple under the weight of the water, and flash floods can take the lives of hundreds. The most recent tropical storm, Isaac, claimed the lives of 12 in a flash flood, and collapsed buildings.
Although these monstrous storms destroy everything in their path, they have weaknesses. Like Isaac, certain fronts can rotate and alter the storm path. High hills and mountains rip apart the highly concentrated winds, disrupting the storm. Even something as simple as 70 degree water can greatly diminish their destructive power.
In conclusion, billions of dollars are lost annually as a result of these natural disasters. Property is demolished, lives are ruined or lost. But there is always a little hope of surviving and rebuilding again.
Do you know what the world’s largest disaster is? A hurricane. On average, 30 hurricanes are developed in tropical waters annually. To prevent confusion, they’re all named in alpha order, starting with ‘A’ every year. Before any storms are named, the low pressure system needs to become a tropical storm. Multiple factors need to chain react in order to form one of these powerhouses. Hurricanes are very powerful, causing chaos in cities, and possibly even death. No matter the destructive power, every hurricane has the chance to bring relief to draught stricken areas.
A common misconception is that hurricanes are created by high winds. In fact, air resting on the surface of warm tropic water lowers the water’s temperature, causing moisture and heat to rise. A reaction of this is a rush of air that fills the vacuum, causing a low pressure. As this low pressure twirls, warm waters intensify the wind speeds. After reaching 35 miles per hour, an “eye” is created, thus a tropical storm manifests.
Then, after making land fall, a tropical storm can cause storm surges. A surge is a heavy wave. Slower moving tropical storms can cause more damage than a faster mone. Millions of gallons of rain can be dumped per day. Buildings topple under the weight of the water, and flash floods can take the lives of hundreds. The most recent tropical storm, Isaac, claimed the lives of 12 in a flash flood, and collapsed buildings.
Although these monstrous storms destroy everything in their path, they have weaknesses. Like Isaac, certain fronts can rotate and alter the storm path. High hills and mountains rip apart the highly concentrated winds, disrupting the storm. Even something as simple as 70 degree water can greatly diminish their destructive power.
In conclusion, billions of dollars are lost annually as a result of these natural disasters. Property is demolished, lives are ruined or lost. But there is always a little hope of surviving and rebuilding again.