More Disasters to Come: First Harvey, then Irma
As one of the strongest recorded hurricanes moves through the Caribbean, the question is still in the air: will Hurricane Irma hit the mainland of the United States, and if so, where?
(image from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/us/hurricane-irma-puerto-rico-florida/index.html)
This is not to minimize the damage it will begin to cause. The CNN article mentioned that "Four of the strongest buildings on the Caribbean island of St. Martin have been destroyed by Hurricane Irma."
As a category 5 storm it's damage will be considerable.
Forecasts indicate a high possibility that Irma will turn towards Florida, striking early Monday morning. But, the forecasts show it weakening to a category 3 before reaching the mainland.
Personally, I am very interested in where Irma will strike. Last week I read and article from The Atlantic called The Next Houston https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/whats-the-next-houston/538200/
While Harvey caused a lot of destruction in Houston, the damage has been mostly from the record-breaking rains, causing massive flooding. The Hurricane itself did not strike the city directly, which would have been much worse.
However, most the article focused on Miami.
Miami has had a lot of hurricanes, but the worst one to hit was back in 1926, when the city only had 100,000 people. Interesting that the event was during a period of time referred to as a the Roaring Twenties. With 6 million people in the area, and as one of the nation's largest population centers, the damage and destruction would devastate the city.
Like Houston, developers (aided by politicians) have built over the environment, preventing the natural landscape from absorbing the excess water and allowing for quicker drainage. Instead, pavement and structures will allow water to collect and flood.
Besides Miami, a major Hurricane striking New York City would also be disastrous.
I think it will only be an act of mercy if Florida (and Miami) is slammed by Irma. Personally, It think it will strike Florida, and I would be surprised if Miami escapes. Not that I wish destruction on any of the people there, but it is a place of iniquity and too many have completely turned their backs on God and are pursuing the vain things of the world.
Will another tropical storm form, develop into a hurricane and strike New York City?
On the financial side, the nation is not prepared for multiple, back-to-back natural disasters. These will place a huge economic burden on the country, further increase the national debt, and may also factor in to the coming economic correction (crash). While I am not convinced the coming economic crash will be the start of the next depression, I think the depression will likely "start" within a year or two of it.
FEMA is not prepared for more than a few days worth of disaster. Beyond that they have contracted with various agencies to assist with food and relief over a longer period of time. What happens when multiple locations are needing assistance? And in the cases of Harvey and Irma, the events are following almost one after the other.
What happens when there are disasters that strike multiple places simultaneously? FEMA doesn't really consider this as very likely, at least not in different parts of the country. This is why they have contracted with agencies in different areas of the country. Most of their planning is, apparently, done on the assumption that a major disaster is only likely to strike one area/region of the country at a time, and there will be a significant amount of time between events. And, the likelihood of multiple major disasters hitting different areas within a short time span of each other, or even simultaneously, is very low.
So, what would happen if an event affects most of (or the entire) country (like a massive solar flare or coronal mass ejection)? Resources would be quickly stripped, food would become scarce, there would be mass panic, protests, and chaos. The result would be martial law.
(image from http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/us/hurricane-irma-puerto-rico-florida/index.html)
This is not to minimize the damage it will begin to cause. The CNN article mentioned that "Four of the strongest buildings on the Caribbean island of St. Martin have been destroyed by Hurricane Irma."
As a category 5 storm it's damage will be considerable.
Forecasts indicate a high possibility that Irma will turn towards Florida, striking early Monday morning. But, the forecasts show it weakening to a category 3 before reaching the mainland.
Personally, I am very interested in where Irma will strike. Last week I read and article from The Atlantic called The Next Houston https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/whats-the-next-houston/538200/
While Harvey caused a lot of destruction in Houston, the damage has been mostly from the record-breaking rains, causing massive flooding. The Hurricane itself did not strike the city directly, which would have been much worse.
However, most the article focused on Miami.
Miami has had a lot of hurricanes, but the worst one to hit was back in 1926, when the city only had 100,000 people. Interesting that the event was during a period of time referred to as a the Roaring Twenties. With 6 million people in the area, and as one of the nation's largest population centers, the damage and destruction would devastate the city.
Like Houston, developers (aided by politicians) have built over the environment, preventing the natural landscape from absorbing the excess water and allowing for quicker drainage. Instead, pavement and structures will allow water to collect and flood.
Besides Miami, a major Hurricane striking New York City would also be disastrous.
I think it will only be an act of mercy if Florida (and Miami) is slammed by Irma. Personally, It think it will strike Florida, and I would be surprised if Miami escapes. Not that I wish destruction on any of the people there, but it is a place of iniquity and too many have completely turned their backs on God and are pursuing the vain things of the world.
Will another tropical storm form, develop into a hurricane and strike New York City?
On the financial side, the nation is not prepared for multiple, back-to-back natural disasters. These will place a huge economic burden on the country, further increase the national debt, and may also factor in to the coming economic correction (crash). While I am not convinced the coming economic crash will be the start of the next depression, I think the depression will likely "start" within a year or two of it.
FEMA is not prepared for more than a few days worth of disaster. Beyond that they have contracted with various agencies to assist with food and relief over a longer period of time. What happens when multiple locations are needing assistance? And in the cases of Harvey and Irma, the events are following almost one after the other.
What happens when there are disasters that strike multiple places simultaneously? FEMA doesn't really consider this as very likely, at least not in different parts of the country. This is why they have contracted with agencies in different areas of the country. Most of their planning is, apparently, done on the assumption that a major disaster is only likely to strike one area/region of the country at a time, and there will be a significant amount of time between events. And, the likelihood of multiple major disasters hitting different areas within a short time span of each other, or even simultaneously, is very low.
So, what would happen if an event affects most of (or the entire) country (like a massive solar flare or coronal mass ejection)? Resources would be quickly stripped, food would become scarce, there would be mass panic, protests, and chaos. The result would be martial law.
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