Residents of the Gulf Coast anxiously watched as tropical storm Laura, called an “unsurvivable storm” by the National Hurricane Center, intensified and gained hurricane status. Before hitting the continental United States, and in conjunction with the now-weakened tropical storm Marco, the storm wreaked havoc on the Caribbean islands of Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.
Last week, as the storms picked up strength, high winds and rough seas ravaged the Caribbean, particularly Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic. The storms left at least 24 people dead, including two children. Millions were left without power, bridges, roads, and hundreds of houses were damaged, and thousands have been evacuated. Heavy rains also battered Cuba and Puerto Rico, where President Trump declared a state of disaster last Saturday. In Jamaica, landslides and flooded roads have been reported.
Additionally, concerns have been raised over damage to the islands’ agricultural sectors. In Puerto Rico, for example, agricultural sectors were still recovering from Hurricane Maria. José Araus, who manages several crops in the Salinas municipality, has already reported losses of 75-100% in the area. Residents fear for what may come in the weeks ahead. “Can you imagine what will happen when the rains and the wind destroy what little there is?” Cuban resident Ofelia Lara said.
All this destruction comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, making the situation in the Caribbean and beyond especially vulnerable. Already strained and under-resourced hospitals, clinics and healthcare workers are ill-prepared to care for those affected, and evacuation is made difficult under the threat of contagion from the virus. Several organizations, including Save the Children, are already mobilizing to raise funds for those impacted.
Meanwhile, nearing the15th anniversary of Katrina, Louisiana and Texas prepare for the “unsurvivable” storm surge. If it maintains its current wind speeds of 150 miles per hour, Hurricane Laura could become one of the strongest storms to ever hit the southern U.S. coast, and is nearing the category five threshold of 158mph. Over half a million residents have been ordered to evacuate the following areas:
“The word ‘unsurvivable’ is not one that we like to use, and it’s one that I’ve never used before,” National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schot said.
Photo: NOAA