Why Recent Disasters in Japan Spells Trouble for Us All

Whether you believe that climate change is caused by man or naturally occurring, it's hard to deny the earth is getting hotter. 

George Tselioudis, a researcher at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, predicts that temperatures around the equator won’t change too much, but the temperatures near the poles will rise. It's believed that these changes in temperature will affect natural disasters and decrease the number of storms we will have. The bad news is that there will be an increase risk of things like drought and storm intensity. 

As the temperature around the poles rise, the ice caps and glaciers will continue to melt. This will cause sea levels to rise. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by 2100 sea levels will rise 0.36 to 2.5 feet. This can lead to an increase in typhoon and hurricane damage as storm surges and flooding can be greater. 

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: 

What to Know About Hurricane Harvey

By: Todd Norman, Emergency Zone

It's Hurricane season, and Hurricanes are not an uncommon threat along the coasts. It is more rare for a hurricane to actually make landfall. The average of is 1.73 a year over the past 165 years.

On occasion though there are hurricanes that can leave a more lasting impression. Some of us may recall Hurricane Katrina, which devastated Louisiana; and then Hurricane Rita, which hit the same region only one month later.


A new hurricane threat is looming over the Gulf Coast, and here's what you should know...

1. As in any emergency remember people tend to panic and rumors abound. Make sure to look for  
    accurate news and news updates.

2. Hurricane Harvey is major hurricane that is sweeping towards the Texas gulf coastline as of Friday.

3. According to the New York Times and CNN, the Hurricane has developed into a category 2* and
    could hit landfall as a category 3, the first to hit the nation in 12 years.

4. In a recent report by the Weather Channel Hurricane Harvey will reach landfall either late tonight
    or early Saturday morning.

5. There are two major threats currently. They have catastrophic amounts of rainfall and flooding, and the already strong tropical storm strength winds and speeds of 110mph.


What you need to do if you are affected...

1. If your home lies dangerously in the path of Hurricane Harvey, local authorities would have already issued a warning of evacuation. It is important to listen to these warnings. Here is a link to the warnings current to the time of this posting.

2. If an evacuation is not necessary, and you haven't been prompted to evacuate, it is best to stay in your home. You have your supplies and necessities there. It also frees up the roads for emergency responders.

3. If evacuating, take essentials with you: food, extra water, extra clothing, toiletries, and cash if you have some handy.

4. If remaining in place but in an effected area keep a radio or news station playing. Keep up to date on the path of the storm.

5. There are a few things you can do to that ready.gov recommends prepare yourself and your home if you are staying put during the hurricane.

• Trim or remove damaged tree limbs from around your yard.
• Secure and reinforce windows, doors, and roofs. If you don't have time to go out and buy anything, use what you have. Plastic sheets and blankets can protect against shattering glass and rain seeping in.
• Review items you might have in a disaster kit: First Aid, Food, Water, Hygiene Supplies.
• Review escape routes in case an evacuation becomes necessary.
• Make sure you have gas in your car.

The most important thing in an emergency is to keep a cool head. If you listen to the local authorities, keep an eye on the storm, and have basic supplies; you will be okay.

An additional resource in an emergency is knowing where safe houses are. Here is a link to the Hurricane Harvey crisis map. It has useful information about the warning areas and safe houses. Crisis Map

*Hurricanes are categorized on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the strongest.

3 Tools for Surviving After a Hurricane Has Hit

Do you know how to survive a hurricane? The bigger question is: do you know how to survive after the hurricane has destroyed your home? You will find great websites about how to prepare for hurricanes, but the following 4 items don't make it on most people's lists. They are tools that help with surviving after a hurricane has hit. When the hurricane passes and has left you without a working home like you had before, you'll want these items. Enjoy!

N95 mask

You've survived a hurricane and now you are left with flooding and having to clean up your house. Flooding following a hurricane can take weeks and mold and dangerous bacteria can develop. You don't want to be caught breathing that. I pulled this from www.mold-help.org about the effects that breathing mold has on your health: "Molds that produce airborne toxins . . . can cause serious symptoms, such as breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and acid reflux." When you are cleaning heavily molded items, wearing an N95 mask for protection will greatly increase your chance of staying healthy. The 95 means it blocks 95% of harmful particles. You can clean up the mess and stay healthy at the same time.

4 in 1 tool

Designed and tested by professional fire fighters, this is handy for shutting off your gas and water valves before a hurricane, and then it also doubles as a cleaning tool after a hurricane. You can dig through debris and you can also pry open doors. This tool is manufactured using heat treated metal compounds that are used by the aerospace industry, which is why it's so tough yet so lightweight. Using heat treated metal means the tool won't make a spark, which is useful if you're digging through debris and there's a gas leak. Nobody want's to cause an explosion. It won't rust, either, which is nice to have after a hurricane for obvious reasons.

Portable Toilet

This one is so obvious it sneaks up on most people.  If your house is severely damaged after a hurricane, using the restroom can get real messy really quick. The above toilet set is an inexpensive solution because it takes a regular 5 gallon bucket and transforms it into a toilet! Use the Blue Gel to keep the smell and mess from getting out of hand. You can get just the toilet seat here, or you can check out the complete toilet set as shown above by clicking here.

Another alternative is the potty box. It folds down so you can store it easier, then it unfolds when you need it. Despite being cardboard it has a durable construction and can hold up to 250lbs. Click here for more on a complete potty box set as shown above.

What do you think?

This isn't a complete list (for example, I didn't include food storage or water filtration methods) but these are a few things that shouldn't be overlooked. I bet there are lots of other great hacks for post-hurricane survival.  Comment below on what you think are important hurricane survival tools! We can all help each other to be a little more ready in case a disaster does occur.

7 Reasons to be Grateful for Hurricanes

You may have heard the phrase "you have to be cruel to be kind" before, but probably not in relation to hurricanes. What most people don't know is that despite being capable of massive destruction, they actually provide necessary services to our planet. We fall into the common trap of focusing on the bad things, but not the good. In reality, hurricanes are one of nature's greatest gardener! Here are 7 specific things that we should be grateful to hurricanes for. . .

1. Rainfall can be very needed some years, and obviously a hurricane is a great way to put lots of water into the ground. Granted the flooding causes an incredible amount of damage, but keep reading and you'll see even more benefits.
2. Hurricanes can maintain islands by dumping large amounts of sand on the beaches, restoring lost dirt due to erosion. Keeping islands in tact is important because there are "barrier" islands such as Long Island in New York that can help shelter the inland from storms and lessen the effects of them.
3. With strong winds, hurricanes can balance the world's temperature by sharing tropical heat with the rest of the world. It blows hot tropical air from the equator north, keeping the equator a little cooler and us a lot warmer.
4. They also cycle nutrients from the seafloor to the surface, revitalizing and renewing wild life in the ocean.
   
5. Hurricanes give genetic diversity to many ecosystems because they help spread and plant seeds. Scientists speculate that many tropical plants in Florida came from seeds farther south in the tropics.
6. Yet another benefit is that hurricanes add variety to nature through a process called ecological succession. Through this process both large and small plants go through cycles, maintaining the variety of plants. When large trees are blown over, the smaller plants and bushes start to flourish in the new sunlight. However, the trees will eventually come back. Because of this process, the smaller plants don't completely die off, and neither do the trees.
7. Flush saltwater from hypersaline lagoons, which benefits life there. Hurricanes can make a hypersaline body of water have less chloride and sodium, making them much more livable.

So next time you suffer through a hurricane or even if you just watch the aftermath on T.V. you can feel a little better. Not that the destruction is a good thing, but there is hope in the idea that in the midst of destruction there is cleansing and rejuvenation.

What You Need To Know About Hurricanes

To Be Fully Prepared, One Must Have Knowledge
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (Sun Tzu) Knowing more about hurricanes is important because they are, in a sense, our enemy. After this post you'll finally understand what they are talking about on the news when they say, "tropical depression," "category 3" or other technical term.

Why do they Name Hurricanes?
Up till the mid-20th century we named hurricanes based on which number hurricane it was in the year it occurred. It changed because it got too confusing when discussing 2 hurricanes that happened at the same time. We officially started using girl names in 1953. It wasn't till 1978 that boy's names were also used. The names are recycled through every 6 years, and particularly bad storms have their name retired. And it's not NOAA that names them, it's the World Meteorological Organization that takes care of the job.

How do Hurricanes Start?
Ever wonder where a hurricane comes from? Like most major problems, they start small. They are born as a "tropical disturbance," then they grow from there.

Tropical Disturbance- When a moving column of warm air clusters with thunderstorms.
Tropical Depression- Winds start spiraling around the eye of the hurricane, between 25 and 38 mph.
Tropical Storm- Winds greater than 39 mph.
Tropical Cyclone (Hurricane)- Winds greater than 74 mph. By this phase a lot has happened, the storm has reached 50,000 ft high and 125 miles across.

What do Hurricane Categories Mean?
So someone tells you that there's a category 4 hurricane that's about to hit the coast. What should your reaction be? Here's a chart to help you figure that out:

Category        Wind Speed                           Damage at Landfall

1	74-95	Minimal
2	96-110	Moderate
3	111-130	Extensive
4	131-155	Extreme
5	Over 155	Catastrophic

What is the Difference between a Hurricane, Typhoon, and a Cyclone?
All you need to know is that they are the same thing! Here's a table to explain that they are named different things in different places of the world:

Name	Where it's Used
Hurricane	Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Central and Northeast Pacific
Typhoon	Northwest Pacific
Cyclones	Bay of Bengal and Arabia Sea
Tropical Cyclone	Southwest Inida Ocean
Severe Tropical Storm	Southwestern Pacific and Southeastern India Ocean

I hope this information has been useful and interesting. By knowing what we're up against we increase our chances of survival.