Increasing Frequency of Hurricanes

One of nature’s most destructive forces is the Hurricane. Hurricanes that impact the United States mostly occur in the Atlantic and travel into the Gulf of Mexico. With winds up to 190 miles per hour, nothing can stand in the way of the most extreme category 5 hurricanes. Hurricanes destroy cities, homes, agriculture and anything in their way due to their high winds and intense rains. Recently, scientists have been supporting the idea that an increase of annual hurricane numbers has been tied to global climate change. The United States must protect its citizens from hurricanes through emergency notification systems, emergency neighborhood cooperation efforts, and reduce its contribution to global climate change.

The article in published in the Scientific American presents the notion of increasing frequency of hurricanes are a result of anthropogenic forces. Global warming is one of the largest contributing factors to increased Hurricane occurances. Hurricanes are fueled and intensified by warm ocean waters, which have been increasing due to global warming. According to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, “There has been an average of one additional tropical cyclone for each 0.1-degree Celsius increase in sea surface temperature and one hurricane for each 0.2-degree Celsius rise” (Scientific American). The increase in global temperatures brought about by climate change can be linked to increased water temperature. Globally, areas of warm-ocean have nearly tripled in size since the beginning of the 20th century, from roughly 17 million square miles to more than 46 million square miles (scientific American). As oceans have warmed there has undoubtedly been a resultant increase in hurricane numbers. This idea of incre...

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... focus on communities coming together in times of need is essential to survival.

Faced with a forecasted future of increased hurricane frequencies, urban Americans must learn to adopt new methods to combat the natural threat. The 2008 hurricane season in Cuba included two large hurricanes that resulted in only seven deaths, which paled in comparison to the number resulting from hurricane Katrina. (Hot Cities) Education and strong neighborhoods that look out for their inhabitants are cornerstones to the success of Cuban survival to hurricanes, and therefore must be assimilated into American culture. Additionally, steps must be made to decrease the American contribution to climate change, which is believed to be the driving force behind warming oceans and hurricanes. Better warned, informed and educated Americans will be better fit to surviving a future hurricanes.