It’s hurricane season in the U.S. and “once in a century” storms are on the move. Florida specifically has faced the most tragedies from these dangerous whirlwinds. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton have been catastrophic for Southeastern states, tearing apart everything they pass through.
Hurricane Helene appeared on September 24th, 2024, and concluded on September 29th. During those five days, hundreds of people died, and southern states such as Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia were brutally impacted. Even two weeks later, hundreds of thousands of people still lack power and have no internet connection, making communication very difficult.
Hurricane Milton, traveled straight through Florida, causing massive casualties and destruction. First starting as a “dangerous category 3” hurricane, the rapid and sudden intensification has strengthened the storm to a category 5. Aggressive winds peaked at 180 mph in the Gulf of Mexico, making Milton the Gulf’s strongest late-season storm on record. After passing through the gulf, the storm lessened to a category 3 hurricane and made landfall on October 9th, leaving the coast almost unrecognizable. CNN reporters on the scene described the aftermath as “carnage,” while capturing the devastating impact of the storm.
Ms. Ruiz, an English teacher at GRHS spent her childhood in Houston Texas, and Florida. The alert about the incoming storms was an unsettling shock because her family and friends were still locals in Florida.
She spoke to a friend in Tampa who evacuated due to 6-foot flooding.
Ruiz stated, “Growing up in two places with lots of hurricanes was scary, but they blew over, this was the first time she and I were both scared”
According to CNN news, global warming has taken part in these monstrous storms, worsening the wind and rain levels by 3 times. These monstrous storms are now about 2.5 times more likely to form. CNN stated, “Where they were once expected every 130 years on average, they can now be expected about once every 53 years.”
