Three powerful hurricanes in one month leave devastation in the Caribbean.
| Autor | Rodriguez, George |
Three destructive hurricanes in only one month--added to seasonal storms--claimed dozens of lives and caused massive destruction of crops, houses, and road infrastructure in island nations throughout the Caribbean
The frequency of the powerful weather events-either Category 5 or Category 4 hurricanes, the top magnitude on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale--is puzzling and worrying experts and authorities.
The first storm in the series was Irma, which rammed with Category 5 winds into the region on a destructive trail leading from its origin in the Atlantic Ocean to the southeastern US.
Lasting from Aug. 30 to Sept. 12, Irma was nearly simultaneous with Category 4 Jose, which followed part of Irma's trail from Sept. 5 to Sept. 18. Initially, it appeared that Jose was also headed to Florida, but it eventually veered northeast and moved farther into the ocean.
With Jose still whirling, Maria became the new threat to the islands as an unusually powerful Category 5.
All three storms entered the Caribbean from the east, initially hitting islands in the Lesser Antilles and then following a general westerly direction toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba. The storms then turned north, either to pound Florida and the Bahamas or to spin off into the Atlantic Ocean.
In the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, hurricanes in the first two categories are labeled "dangerous," but those reaching Categories 3, 4 or 5 are classified as "major," capable of "devastating" or "catastrophic" damage.
According to the scale, Category 1 has "very dangerous winds" in the 119-153 km/h range that "will produce some damage," while Category 2 moves with 154-177 km/h, "extremely dangerous winds" that "will cause extensive damage."
The third level's 178-208 km/h winds mean that "devastating damage will occur," and in the case of Category 4 (209-251 km/h winds) and Category 5 (252 km/h or higher) "catastrophic damage will occur."
A destructive season
Hurricanes, which form mostly during the April-November season, are nothing new to the Caribbean region (NotiCen, July 23, 2015, Nov. 10, 2016, Nov.
17, 2016). But last month's storms were particularly powerful and came in rapid succession, causing major damage in the islands along their path.
Irma was especially destructive in Barbuda, half of the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.
"Barbuda right now is literally a rubble," Prime Minister Gaston Browne told reporters after touring the island. He...
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