Hurricanes: Know the Facts
by: Brittani Springmeyer
Hurricanes are often called the deadliest, strongest, and costliest of all storms. They can kill many people at a time. Some describe hurricanes as tornadoes over the water. Hurricanes are like spiral waves that kill many people and destroy a lot of land. They can and will kill anything or anyone in their paths.
The normal hurricane season can last from June 1 to November 30. In the year 2007, meteorologists predicted that there would be a 75 percent increase in normal chance of activity. The NOAA stated that there would be a thirteen to seventeen named storms, with ten becoming hurricanes and three to five becoming major hurricanes of a category three or higher.
Last year, out of the five hurricanes and four tropical storms, two made landfall in the United States. The hurricanes names were Alberto and Ernesto. In the year 2005, there was a dangerous and extremely deadly hurricane named Katrina. This natural disaster hit the world in a way that a storm had never done before. "Hurricane Katrina was a horrible event that no one should have gone through." says junior Briana Pfettscher. Hurricane Katrina tore down towns, took lives, and crushed sprits.
Hurricanes are intense storms that happen over the ocean. Hurricanes are typically 500 feet in diameter. According to FEMA, there are five categories that classify all hurricanes. Category one's wind speed is about 119-154 with minimal damage. Category two's wind speed is 155-178 with moderate damage. Category three's wind speed is 179-210 with extensive damage. Category four's wind speed is 211- 250 with extreme damage. Category five's wind speed is anything over 251 with catastrophic damage.
With this year's hurricane season almost over, we need to be more prepared for what is going to happen next year. "There isn't much that we can do to prevent hurricanes, but I think that we do need to raise the awareness of the things that hurricanes can do." stated junior Heather Reine. We need to have the access to be able to live early enough to get to somewhere safe. Americans will need to have a place that the victims can go when they don't have the money to go north and go to a hotel. Victims need to have the goods that they are going to have to use when the hurricane hits their homes. We can all help by volunteer and donate items to help get through this. Here are some steps that the National Hurricane Center suggests:
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By doing these simple steps, we could save so many lives.