How To Minimize Hurricane Flood Damage

2058 Words5 Pages

Hurricanes are destructive and dangerous forces of nature that exist because of a long process involving heat, wind, and vapor. When sea water heats, it creates vapor that rises in the atmosphere as time passes. These vapors become strong winds and are classified as a hurricane when they are greater than seventy-four miles per hour (Emily, Helen, and Mohamed). According to John Roach of National Geographic, these conditions have occurred very frequently since 1995 due to an increase in the temperature of the ocean, which created more vapor, heavy rainfall, and serious hurricanes. This increase in temperature caused the dangerous floods of Hurricane Irene in 2011 and the deaths of more than eleven thousand people in 1998 due to Hurricane Mitch (Cimons and Landsea). We plan to investigate the impact of floods and storm surges on coastal areas and cities caused by these high water temperatures and the currently proposed and partially effective solutions used to slow hurricane waves and prevent floods. (A) A proposed method of slowing hurricanes, diminishing waves and minimizing floods was created by Bill Gates and a dozen scientists/engineers from his company, Intellectual Ventures, who suggested to place as many as two hundred cylinder-shaped tubs via airplanes in general hurricane paths “which...would collect water through waves breaking over the walls of the tub. Some variations have the water moving through turbines on their way down, which would in turn generate electricity to suck up the cooler water” (Schleifstein). The mechanics of the tub send warm water from the waves deeper into the sea while colder water is pumped to the surface (Schleifstein). The single problem with Gates’ solution is that it has not been built. The co... ... middle of paper ... ...ject. Comp. Anu Mittal. Research rept. no. 4-30. Washington, D.C.: United States General Accounting Office, 2003. Print. Corps of Engineers. USA Today. Gannett, 28 Aug. 2007. Web. 5 Jan. 2014. . Walsh, Bryan. “Sandy: What a Coastal U.S. Can Learn from Other Threatened Cities.” Time 5 Nov. 2012: n. pag. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. . - - -. "A Silent Hurricane Season Adds Fuel to a Debate Over Global Warming" ["A Silent Hurricane Season Adds Fuel to a Debate Over Global Warming"]. Time. Time, Inc., 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. a-silent-hurricane-season-ignites-a-debate-over-global-warming/>.

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