When The Hurricane Hits Texas Summary

Roy Scranton, published writer for the New York Times, is worried about the future of Texas, and we should be too. Hurricanes are catastrophic storms, and although Texas has undergone devastating blows in the past, nothing can prepare them for their future. In the article “When the Hurricane Hits Texas,” an opinion article written by Roy Scranton and published in the New York Times, this complex issue is addressed by submerging into the heart of the issue, Houston, Texas. Scranton states the idea that we are facing an impending doom that will not only ruin the lives of thousands, but the economy of our country as well. This is happening because we have failed to take action and approach climate change in the past, and in addition we are not

taking immediate precautions for upcoming storms in which we, the people of this planet, have caused through the use of the very industries we are simultaneously aiming to protect. Scranton’s point is made very clear in his writing through his serious and well educated tone on the issue that allows the reader to recognize this national crisis as one that is worthy of our attention.
Scranton describes the horrendous results of some of the most detrimental storms to ever strike Texas in his article. Right before the information in the article is even presented to the reader, they are provided with a picture of the torn up Gilchrist, Texas after hurricane Ike in September, 2008. The dirty brown water that floods the streets of what previously appears to be a wealthy neighborhood leaves the reader with the shocking realization that nowhere is safe, and that their own homes and communities could be at risk. Scranton then launches into a terrifying hypothetical situation of a supercharged storm named Hurricane Isaiah, that will someday wreck the Texas petroleum industry and tragically damage the area. When explaining this situation, Scranton uses scientific estimates of what the damage will be, such as the category 4 intensity of the storm and the massive storm surge that would wipe out petroleum industries along the Houston Ship Channel in paragraphs two and three. This establishes not only that the author is educated to the degree of knowing very specific events that could take place, but also that these facts exist and therefore this is an issue that scientists are immensely concerned with. Scranton continues to describe the damage caused both by the storm and the effects the storm would have on the chemical storage facilities, production plants, wharves and refineries all of whoms contents will seep into the towns and invade the lives of thousands. Following this, Scranton tugs at the reader’s emotions by declaring this hypothetical situation to be the “worst disasters in United States History,” and by comparing it to other life changing disasters such, as the 9/11 Terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
Throughout his article Scranton mainly focuses on Houston, Texas as well as neighboring towns affected by these storms.

Scranton does this opposed to focusing on all states in the U.S. that will be struck by harmful hurricanes in the future because the fact that Houston, Texas is home to 35% of our country’s natural gas reserve and an important contributor to our economy, as explained in paragraphs six and seven in the article. These facts lead the reader to the conclusion that we are far too dependent upon this area to sit back and watch it get destroyed. Scranton’s way of pointing out how “The effects will ripple across the globe,” cause the readers to panic and induces stress, which is how the author wants the population to feel in regards to this topic. Scranton then shifts to inform us that Hurricane Isaiah is should not be where the worrying ends, but rather that hurricanes in our future are going to be even more harmful. Climate change, something being caused by humans, will create even larger storms due to increasing water temperatures that charge hurricanes. While this is not stated in the article, I found this part of the article ironic, because petroleum industries emit carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, which is a large contributor to global warming and climate change that causes these storms. In a way, it can be perceived by the reader that nature, in form of a hurricane, is destroying the very thing that caused its pollution and indirectly created the

hurricane itself.
Once the reader reaches paragraph ten of the article, the perspective shifts to be more first person as the author revives his personal experience observing the area in which hurricane Isaiah will someday dramatically alter. By placing himself directly into the scene, he is allowing the readers to engage with the the Houston Ship Canal through his senses, and therefore understand it further. Scranton describes the brown-black water that his boat runs through as he passes through communities, such as Magnolia Park and Hartman Park, and goes into depth about how the petroleum industries and other pollutant sources surrounding these communities and how they are currently negatively affected. When describing Hartman Park, which is supposedly the “jewel of Manchester,” the readers are surprised that Scranton’s beautifully described suburban community can be so densely polluted under the surface. The author boosts his credibility tremendously on the topic by experiencing the effects of these carbon monoxide emitters on their communities first hand, allowing the reader to trust his opinion.
In paragraph fifteen, Scranton wrote, “ The fight has been mainly reactive, always planning for the last big storm.” This one line sums up our biggest issue, that we are always changing our ways after the damage is already done rather than before, even when we know it’s coming for us.

After hurricane Ike, which hit Texas in 2008, Texas didn’t ask for a coastal protection program, and instead did what they believed to be most economically necessary. Scranton includes this information to emphasize how we don’t seem to learn from our lack of preparation for disastrous storms in the past, and why that’s such an issue. However, today researchers are working towards solutions to the damage of future hurricanes. Although acting out these plans has proven to be a struggle, according to all the information Scranton has provided us throughout the article it should be one of the most serious issues on our minds. The lack of immediate call to action on the issue of climate change means that “today it might be too late,” states Scranton. He then wraps up his ideas by claiming to understand why the population has difficulty fully grasping the urgency to prevent climate change, if still possible. Readers are emotionally provoked when Scranton lists concepts that relate to climate change, such as leukemia, shampoo, specific places, paper, etc. because people can often relate to some of these things in their everyday life. Scranton seems to understand that many people are just afraid of

climate change as well, and often we meet fear with denial, especially in situations where there isn’t a textbook way of solving it.
“When the Hurricane Hits Texas” is an opinion article written by Roy Scranton, and was published in the New York Times. This article supports the concept that the best way to secure the safety of our future is to be proactive and prepare for the potential damage to come. Although it is an opinion piece, it was very persuasive and informative to the readers through the use of relevant facts, devices that invested the reader personally, and through the strong establishment of credibility Scranton makes for himself through both his presence in the setting and extensive knowledge.