Severe Storms Cause Havoc in the Northeastern States Claiming 5 Lives in May of 2018

Storms have been wreaking havoc in the northeastern states in the United States of America. The storms took five lives, and caused a lot of destruction. 

New York City encountered baseball sized hail during the thunderstorms, and thousands lost power. 

Earth's Deadly Storms: Hurricanes

What Should I Know?

There are many factors that contribute to the creation of a hurricane. Hurricanes can vary in size and strength. This impacts the damage that occurs. National Geographic explains how hurricanes work: 

Flooding: What You May or May Not Already Know

With the beauty of Springtime, the deadliness of floods come. The snow starts melting, and spring storms start coming.
Many places are already seeing the effects of these deadly floods.

Kauai, Hawaii is in a state of emergency, and dealing with mudslides because of their flash floods. Below are pictures that depict the damages that occurred.

Flooding happens, what should we do or not do during the floods?

Weather.com gives us nine great examples of the worst things you can do during a flood:

1. Drive in flooded waters, you don't know how deep it is, or how little of water it will actually take to sweep your car away. According to ready.gov "just two feet of moving water can sweep an SUV off the road".
2. Use electricity in a flooded home
3. Get in the flood water, as there could be sewage, disease, and/or dangerous animals 
4. Play with the wild animals
5. Ignore flood warnings
6. Not having a flood emergency kit
7. Leaving things on and plugged in when you evacuate your home
8. Not being properly dressed
9. Leaving important belongings on the main floor where the flood will likely get them. 

So what should you do during a flood?

1. Go to high ground
2. Avoid the areas that are currently flooded
3. Never drive in the water

After the flood ensure that you:

1. Check for any damage
2. Get all the wet objects including carpet, as it can mold in 24-48 hours
3. Clean and disinfect everything that the flood water touched
4. Create a plan before repairing
5. File for your flood insurance claim. Remember, only flood insurance will help you when a flood happens. 

To make sure you are prepared and ready for flood season, the following are suggested:

1. Create an emergency plan, and ensure everyone living in the home knows it
2. Create a home inventory list for the insurance companies
3. Ensure you have flood insurance, as other insurance types most likely won't cover flood damage

Be prepared with emergency survival kits, as well as food and water storage. You never know how long you will have to go without modern conveniences. 

Nature is Taking its Toll

Weather tends to be unpredictable. The winter storm Xanto struck many northern states this past week. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the storm broke the record for the heaviest snow fall in April, and 2nd for the heaviest snowfall of all-time.

Wisconsin was not the only state effected. Below is what weather.com reported as "some of the top snow and ice reports from Xanto".

To help ensure safe travels during the snow, seven tips are given by the U.S.News:

1. Drive slow and know your car's breaks
2. Even with all-wheel drive you can still slide
3. If possible don't stop, and when you do give yourself time
4. Use snow tires or chains
5. Be prepared for the worst
6. Make sure the exhaust pipe is clear
7. Make sure you can see

The North wasn't the only ones to get hit hard. Tornadoes have been wreaking havoc through the South. Virginia declared a state of emergency. Louisiana and North Carolina had deaths, and a lot of damage occurred to Arkansas and many other states. People had been evacuated, saving lives, but some were still hurt. A mother was saved by the jaws of life, after being pinned under a tree that fell on her motor home.

Property was damaged.

Cars were flipped.

And houses were demolished.

With the possibility of unpredictable weather, and the start of tornado season, ensure that you are prepared with some type of emergency kit, automobile kit, and food storage. You never know when an evacuation will occur, your car will get stuck, or your house will be damaged.

What Do Natural Disasters Mean for Me?

Natural disasters have been around long before man. They are natural occurrences of the earth. Places flood. The earth shakes. There is nothing inherently wrong with these events until it disrupts life. Thousands of earthquakes aren’t felt, but they are there. Some happen in the middle of the ocean, so we don’t notice. One thing is for sure in life; there will always be uncertainty. Scientists are getting better at predicting some natural disasters. We can live in denial and hope for the best. Nothing is wrong with hope. The issue is when that denial and hope disrupt us from being prepared. Natural disasters will happen. That is one thing we can be certain about in life. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Earthquakes

Let us first start with the increase of earthquakes. On February 16^th, there was a total of 78 earthquakes. 48 of which were magnitude 3, 27 were magnitude 4, and 3 were magnitude 5. Luckily most earthquakes are small, and hardly felt.

Mexico, however, has been one of the unlucky ones. On February 16^th, there was a 7.2 earthquake. Then again on the 19^th they had another earthquake magnitude 5.7. In the past 7 days, they have had 66 earthquakes.

Flooding

Hawaii has had flash floods. This lead to evacuations and rescue missions. The Honolulu Fire department set out to rescue passengers in cars that were swept up. The rescue was lead by a person who drove a bulldozer into the water. This allowed the firefighters to get closer to the cars and get the passengers out.

New Zealand has had flooding and strong winds from the Cyclone Gita. It is possible to have 90 mph winds. Landslides are also likely. The places in the South Island have declared state of emergency.

The Buller Distract Mayor Garry Howard said, “this is not a good situation for those in seafront properties”. Below is a picture of a man's farm in Balnham after the flooding. 

Chicago and Michigan both have possible flooding.

What people are doing because of the natural disasters?

After Hurricane Irma, Florida is making improvements. They are reworking evacuation routes.  

Another big problem they had was fuel. When evacuations happen, cars need gas. This is what it looked like getting ready for hurricane Irma.

Many improvements are being made as shown below. 

Learning and improving is vital to our existence. Florida has made great strides in improving their evacuation plans. Hopefully it helps fix some kinks that they have been having.  

What natural disasters mean for investors?

Have you ever thought about buying property somewhere by the beach? Maybe California? These places have seen many natural disasters. From this, much property has been destroyed. Yet, people are still buying property in these places. 

Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damage in Houston Texas.

This hasn't changed people's minds for buying property here. Last year the 219 weather disasters caused $1.5 trillion in damages across the United States. Below is a graph showing how disaster costs have changed over the years.

Billy Grayson, the Executive Director for Center of Sustainability and Economic Performance said, "If you think that insurance is always going to cover you, you have to recognize insurance changes every year".

Hurricane Irma caused a lot of damage in Florida. $50 billion to be exact.

Arthur J. Gallagher, the chairman of a large real estate fund, and Alexandra Glickman, the director, pulled out of investing in Florida. Insurance costs were high. Maintaining the properties was costly. They were at high risk of flooding and mold.

There is nothing we can do to change natural disasters. They are a part of life. However, we can change how we prepare for and react to them. We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.