Environmental Science Blog

This past September, Hurricane Ian attacked the southeastern coast of the U.S. and Cuba. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the hurricane cut straight through Florida and reached South Carolina. Homes, towns, and people were demolished. Almost two months later, the reconstruction and recovery process is still going. The stories of deaths and destruction has had a large impact on me personally. Hurricane Ian covered an enormous surface area as it travelled: causing deaths in 17 counties across central Florida.

According to NBC News, Hurricane Ian caused the deaths of 148 people through flooding, strong winds, human accidents, and deaths in hospitals due to power outages. Hurricane Ian was a Category 4 hurricane when it first touched down in southwest Florida. Category 4 hurricanes have wind speeds of between 130-156mph, and Hurricane Ian’s wind speeds were 155mph. Category 4’s are usually rare, and very dangerous, but in Florida, there have been a few more Category 4’s. The NOAA reports that in the past 5 years, Florida has had two other Category 4+ hurricanes. Hurricane Michael of October 2018 was a Category 5 and Hurricane Irma of September 2017 was a Category 4. Hurricane Michael caused a total of 47 deaths, and Irma 134 deaths. Florida has seen many devastating hurricanes, and I hope I can do whatever I can for the recovery process.