How can hurricanes affect people

The water piles up with nowhere to go but onto land when it gets to the coast. The rising water, called storm surge, can submerge low-lying areas and towns along the coast. Combined with the crashing waves of the storm, the storm surge can cause demolishing docks, houses, roads, and erode beaches. The floods from storm surge usually lasts for a short time, usually just a few hours, but can cause a tremendous amount of damage. When storm surge happens at high tide, there is even more flooding.

The model takes into account important factors that affect storm surge include the speed of winds in the storm, the distance that those winds travel over the ocean, how the hurricane approaches the coast whether it is a direct impact or hits at an angle , and the shape of the coast and the ocean floor. After a hurricane hits a coastal area, it can travel inland. At this point, the storm has typically weakened, but it can still cause damage.

Torrential rains from the storm can cause rivers to flood their banks and mudslides to form. Around the world, about 10, people die each year in hurricanes and tropical storms. While hurricanes have intense winds, waves and even tornadoes, floodwaters are their most dangerous aspect.

The stalling of Hurricane Harvey over Texas in , as well as the slow pace of Hurricane Florence, helped make them the storms with the greatest amount of rainfall in 70 years. While there may seem to be a growing number of hurricanes snatching headlines each year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC does not see a general global trend toward increasing hurricane frequency over the past century.

The exception is the North Atlantic, which the United Nations body notes has seen an increase in the frequency and intensity of its hurricanes—though as some researchers note , the uptick may be due in part to improvements in monitoring.

Looking forward, the IPCC projects that while there might be a slight decrease in hurricane frequency through , the storms that do make landfall are more likely to be intense—category 4 or 5—with more rain and wind. We may not be experiencing more storms, but we are riding out stronger ones, with heavier rainfall and more powerful winds hence all those news headlines.

Recent research , for example, estimates that Hurricane Harvey dumped as much as 38 percent more rain that it would have without climate change. Another Harvey analysis indicates that the likelihood of a storm of its size evolved from once per century at the end of the 20th century to once every years by —again, due to climate change. Looking forward, the intensity of hurricanes that make landfall is expected to increase through the end of this century, with more category 4 and 5 storms.

Of course, hurricanes are natural phenomena, and there is nothing we can do to halt any single storm in its path though some people may try. But getting there will require serious heavy lifting in the form of immediate, transformative global action, as the IPCC noted recently in a stark report drafted by some 91 climate scientists representing 40 countries. It will mean slashing global carbon emissions by nearly half by , relative to levels, zeroing out emissions entirely by about , and meeting as much as 87 percent of global energy needs with renewable sources.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration ignored the overwhelming evidence from climate scientists worldwide and instead chose to double down on fossil fuels and undermine policies designed to reduce carbon emissions and boost clean energy. The administration had committed to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, ditch carbon-cutting policies such as the Clean Power Plan , weaken fuel efficiency standards for cars, and roll back wide-ranging environmental safeguards.

But while the Trump administration shirked its climate responsibilities, many American leaders—and much of the rest of the world— pushed ahead. Mayors , governors , companies , and utilities are charting their own course, finding ways to tackle climate change. As customers, we can support companies invested in meaningful climate action.

And as global citizens, we can take myriad steps to slash carbon pollution from our own daily live s. While we may not be able to prevent the next hurricane, there are ways to reduce the widespread destruction these storms leave in their wake. First, communities, cities, and states should work together to improve climate resiliency and ensure that public safety is a primary factor in determining where and what we build.

More than 30, U. With some commonsense reforms, such as helping homeowners relocate, updating flood maps to reflect new climate realities including sea level rise and its effects on local storm surge levels , and sharing data on flood hazards, the program could better keep America safe and dry. The program, which President Trump scrapped , ensured that any new, federally funded infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals, public housing, and police stations, would be built outside flood-prone areas or at least made more resistant to flooding.

Measures such as these could result in major cost savings. If you live in an area considered at risk for hurricanes, knowing what to do before, during, and after a storm will go a long way toward keeping you safe. Below are a handful of hurricane safety tips. Aaron McConomy. Before, during, and after a storm, follow the instructions of local authorities.

If told to evacuate, do so immediately. As a storm develops, evacuation routes may close. If forced to weather a storm in place, stay away from windows, skylights, and glass doors. Head to an interior room, bathroom, or closet. If floodwaters are a threat, head to the highest floor—excluding closed attics, where you could be trapped if floodwaters go high enough.

Do not operate gasoline-powered machinery such as generators inside. If you do venture outside, avoid floodwaters, which may contain dangerous debris or hide downed power lines. And remember: Six inches of fast-moving water can sweep you off your feet, and just one foot of moving water can wash a vehicle away. In Puerto Rico after the Hurricane Maria, people died as a result of not having the transportation to go to a hospital or sufficient life-sustaining medicine.

Rebuilding also requires funds that many disadvantaged populations do not have. While the rich can often afford to move out of high-risk areas, impoverished households cannot. Developing countries also cannot afford to protect high-risk areas, by, for example, rebuilding structures with higher elevations and installing sea walls. Hurricanes affect those living in poverty the most and, as a result, hurricanes push them further into poverty. The Red Cross is one of many organizations that provide hurricane relief around the world.

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