As we ponder what happened and what could have been prevented in the national disaster known as Hurricane Katrina (and rightly so), it is important that we not lose sight of the meteorological aspects of that fateful week which closed August, 2005. Indeed, that fatal storm set 3 atmospheric records for cyclones:
1) Katrina was the largest storm ever in terms of
area;
2) In the hours before landfall, Katrina had the highest wind gusts ever
recorded; and
3) Katrina accelerated from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane faster than
any storm recorded.
The third and last of the above is among the most important Hurricane Katrina environmental lessons.
As a Floridian, I will not forget anytime soon how lucky the Sunshine State was in August of 2005. While we did not escape fully unscathed, Katrina could have hit us much harder. Indeed, a few weeks later, Wilma did to the lower peninsula what Katrina could have done to us and did to the central Gulf Coast.
It all began east of the Bahamas. As Katrina gathered intensity and became more organized, she struck the Bahamas as a strong Tropical Storm. As she continued west and threatened South Florida, she was a full-fledged hurricane. She continued almost due west, cutting a path of relatively mild destruction, and entered the Gulf of Mexico as a weak Category 1 hurricane. Then, she turned north and within the span of 3 days, thanks to global warming-fueled above-average Gulf water temperatures, power-shifted to become the largest and fastest Category 5 hurricane in history.
Other more qualified authors have written volumes about what happened next and none of us should be satisfied until every evacuee and storm refugee has returned home but, at the same time, let’s remember what the future holds. Just last week, NASA published a report which foretells a dangerous future of killer storms of various types, not just hurricanes. Indeed, as the world’s temperatures continue to climb, we will see higher fatality rates from floods, thunderstorms and tropical storms. My friend, the forecast calls for pain.
So, let’s mourn our country’s tragic losses caused by Hurricane Katrina but also prepare ourselves for what is to come. It is my somber responsibility to share with you the grim news that killer storms are (literally) the wave of the future.
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
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