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| Instagram | Mike Buresh |
Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on August 25, the US Coast Guard has endeavored on countless of rescue missions in the area. However, now that Hurricane Irma is increasingly expected to hit parts of Florida, some Caribbean islands, and possibly even parts of the East Coast, some of the Coast Guard has relocated from Texas into Puerto Rico, Florida, and Georgia to prepare for the effects of the next natural disaster.
Late Monday evening, Irma's winds increased to a maximum of 130 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale measured 1-5). The storm is expected to hit the US coast in around a week, and people in the predicted affected places are scrambling to prepare. Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló has declared a state of emergency and classes have been canceled on Tuesday; Puerto Rico may start experiencing the effects of the hurricane as early as Wednesday. Along with Puerto Rico, a series of other Caribbean islands, including some of the US Virgin Islands have been issued hurricane warnings, typically given 36 hours before the effects of hurricane first begin to appear.
Though the storm isn't expected to make it to the states until a few days after, Florida governor Rick Scott has also declared a state of emergency in all 67 counties of his state on Monday, claiming that the state cannot be too prepared. He urged families to prepare their disaster kits for when the hurricane is expected to turn north and hit Florida. President Trump has "offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma."
Unfortunately, the hurricane is also under good conditions to continue strengthening, as it is moving with "warm sea surface temperatures and favorable upper-level winds." Florida is expected to receive the usual hazards: strong winds, heavy rain, and dangerous storm surges, which may be particularly dangerous this time, considering the amount of time Irma has spent over the water. Irma began forming near the Cabo Verde Islands in east Atlantic (which has produced some of the most intense, devastating disasters), and has traveled across the ocean to hit on or near the US coast. With the predicted magnitude of this storm, states all along the east coast may have to worry about the effects of Irma.
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| Predicted routes twitter | ryanmaue |
Discussion Questions:
Should the United States issue more protection (like what Trump promised Florida) to Puerto Rico and its Virgin Islands?
Has the United States done as well as it can to prepare for and recover from natural disasters? If not, or if something can be improved, what should be done?
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10 comments:
I think the United States should definitely work to protect people in our territories. It's American soil, and they're American people. People living in territories deserve to be safe just as much as people living in states. I believe it would be hypocritical to not help them, as we seceded from Britain because they were valuing colonists below those in Great Britain.
I do admit that the Coast Guard is being spread thin at this point, with two Hurricanes to help recover people from. But the United States has the largest military in the world. We should be able to maintain our own country.
The United States is in a difficult situation, and for the most part making the best of it. I am not, however, informed enough to be able to judge whether we are acting in the most effective manner or not.
I agree with Aech.
Since this is happening within our territory and the people affected are Americans, I believe that we should do our best to help. Because we are such a big nation, I believe we should be able to help the people in our own country. Although I do admit that it must be hard for the government to deal with two hurricanes in the country. I don't think it's fair if we prioritize one disaster over another only because they are part of the States. I think they should both be taken care of equally.
Yeah I gotta agree with the statements above. I just looked it up, and only 43% of Americans even know that Puerto Rico is a US territory, and that Puerto Ricans are US citizens. I'm sure a lot of people would be against giving aid to Puerto Rico simply because they don't know that it is under our control, and figure that we have to prioritize "American lives" above all else. As for taking measures to prevent/respond to natural disasters, maybe we should start taking climate change seriously (?). One would think that maybe Mother Nature is trying to say something by hitting us with two major storms in two weeks, including one in the biggest petroleum producing state, but people continue to deny climate change in support of the fossil fuel industry. If global temperatures weren't rising so quickly, maybe the atmosphere wouldn't be able to carry so much water and deposit it on major cities such as Houston. Maybe Harvey and Irma will at least raise some awareness about this issue.
I also agree with the comments above that the US should work to ensure the safety of our people. Our country is big enough and has the potential to provide support and assistance to those in need in our country(and elsewhere). As for preparing for a natural disaster, there's only so much we can do. But one thing that I believe we as a nation should take in consideration is ways to reduce climate change. These two disasters that have struck us, has definitely caused a lot of damage, and hopefully it can be seen as a wake up call for change.
Trump should definitely issue protection to Puerto Rico and its Virgin Islands, not just Florida because it’s a U.S. Territory and therefore should be supported by the U.S. Trump not issuing support to them, in my opinion, promotes disunity in American society and somewhat favoritism. Everyone should have the right to be protected from natural disasters. With Hurricane Harvey, the U.S. has definitely sent out help to the people affected, but with Hurricane Irma quickly approaching, it is vital for the U.S. to be able to prioritize and determine who needs more help with, for example, the number of fatalities or lost homes. Having two major hurricanes within a span of two weeks is shocking and I believe that the U.S. should take this as a warning signal for more potential disasters that can occur in the future. Furthermore, it also emphasizes the need for improvement in Americans having the ability to work together through common hardship, in this case, surviving the hurricanes and reiterates again that Trump should not veer away from issuing more protection to Puerto Rico and its Virgin Islands.
Trump should most definitely provide support for The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as they are territories of the United States and therefore should be taken care of by the United States. I think a poor job has been done in preparing for hurricanes. Trump made large cuts to FEMA's emergency response project team that was developing new technologies to provide aide in places that are in a state of emergency. It is time for Trump to begin making reasonable and necessary decisions.
I agree with above statement. Puerto Rico should be protected just as much as the mainland because it is a US territory. As US citizens, Puerto Ricans should have access to resources that can help them combat the wreckage that Hurricane Irma has the capability to create. Hurricane Harvey was very destructive and the US should do anything they can in order to prevent this degree of destruction from happening again. 2 huge hurricanes happening within the same month? Global warming? Additionally, although this is not related to the US, Hong Kong a few weeks ago had one of the biggest typhoons (Typhoon Hato) that it has ever experienced. Anyways, global warming is an obvious thing that is happening, and it is evident in the hurricanes that are occurring.
I believe that Puerto Rico should be protected as much as any other country that belongs to the US.I believe that the US is protected as much as they can be. Due to the location of Florida, it is eminent that hurricanes are to often occur on the coastline.The president has offered full support to Florida to prepare for the disaster. By easily being able to commit to supporting the states in times of disaster, it shows that the US has the sufficient funds to be able to take action as soon as possible to reduce the casualties, damage and ensure the protection of the people at the best of their abilities.
I agree with everyone else. Trump should be protecting and issuing aid to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands just like he is issuing help to Florida. The U.S. has not done enough to protect and prepare for the hurricanes. Despite many warnings, the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has ignored a number of hurricane warnings as he focuses mainly on furthering the oil industry. In ignoring these important signs, he has endangered the state of Texas and neglected a major part of his job as governor.
I believe that Puerto Rico should be protected just like the United States, since puerto Rico belongs to the US. The U.S. military has launched an amphibious relief operation into the Caribbean to aid the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. I believe that the United States is trying it's best to help out with the people who are affected by this. The US military began supporting relief operations for Hurricane Irma on Thursday as helicopters deployed from the USS Wasp amphibious warship started assisting with damage assessment and medical evacuations for critical care patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix.
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