Hurricanes

By Alex G (Ms. Kee Pd. 3)

Almost everyone in the United States has heard of Hurricane Katrina, the devastating hurricane that killed thousands. Hurricanes are destructive phenomena that wipe whole cities away. The more we know about hurricanes the safer we will be.

A hurricane is like a doughnut with the eye as its hole. Hurricanes are created over warm tropical oceans. Water vapor rises with hot air. Then it mixes with cooler air and falls; the cycle repeats, creating more and more vicious winds. The water vapor condenses into rain. Because of something called the Corriolis Effect – caused by the rotation of the Earth-- hurricanes (and toilets) spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Interestingly, there are many different parts of a hurricane. The central dense overcast is an area of intense thunderstorms near the center of the hurricane. The outflow is wind that flows in the opposite direction of the rest of the hurricane. The storm surge is the term for the waves that are created. The eye wall is not only the strongest part of the hurricane but it is also right next to the center. Rain bands are bands of thunder and rain. The rim or edge is the weakest part of the hurricane. The eye is the calm center of the hurricane.

Hurricanes are incredibly deadly! Buildings can be damaged and people can be evacuated. Flooding may occur and people sometimes have to take only a few of their belongings and move into tent cities. The deadliest hurricane killed more than 8,000 people. Unbearable power outages that last more than a month may occur. Farms and oil fields may be damaged, causing prices to rise.

One of the most fascinating things about hurricanes, or willie willies as the Australians call them, is the way that they’re tracked. Weather was unpredictable before the 1940’s. The Hurricane Hunters, or the Air Force Reserve 53^rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, is one of several government agencies assigned to track hurricanes. One of the most important devices used by the Hurricane Hunters is a dropsonde. It’s a radio device dropped out of airplanes that measures temperature, humidity, wind speed and barometric pressure. A dropsonde costs $500 and isn’t reusable. The NOAA also tracks hurricanes. Weather satellites help hurricane tracking services find willie willies. Doppler radar, which uses the sound waves of a moving object to determine its location and speed, is a very important tool employed by hurricane tracking services.

Hurricanes are often sorted by death toll. The deadliest hurricane ever hit Galveston, Texas in 1900 and killed 8,000 people. The second most deadly hurricane hit lake Okeechobee in Florida. This devastating hurricane hit in 1921, killing 1,836 people. In 1919, 600 people died when a hurricane hit the Florida Keys and Texas. The most expensive hurricane was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it hit Louisiana and Mississippi, costing a total of approximately 35 billion dollars. Andrew hit Florida in 1992, costing 20.9 billion dollars. Florida and South Carolina had 7.5 billion dollars worth of damage when Hurricane Charley hit.

From 1951 until 1953, the International Phonetic Alphabet that was used for radios was also used to name hurricanes. In 1953, the International Phonetic Alphabet changed, causing much confusion between the two versions. Beginning in 1978, hurricanes in the Pacific ocean used men’s names. In 1979, women’s names were introduced. None of the names begin with a Q-U-X or Z. If a hurricane is incredibly devastating, its name is retired. Klaus, Andrew and Jane have all been retired.

Hurricanes are exceedingly deadly but there are many ways to stay safe. When a hurricane warning is issued, the government has specific data that a hurricane may hit and that you should evacuate. A hurricane watch says that a hurricane might hit within 24-36 hours. You should pack a disaster kit. There should be food, water, fuel and cooking tools in the kit. You should pack medicine, a first aid kit and drugs. You are going to need toiletries, hygiene items and moisture wipes. Tools, documents, toys and keys are very important. All the tanks in your cars should be full and you should have a radio and flashlight. You might need blankets, pillows, clothes and rain gear.

In 2005, 23 hurricanes made landfall, more than have ever hit since 1851. Hurricanes are deadly and I think that knowing about them is the next big step toward preventing them. Over the past 100 years technology and other innovations have affected hurricanes, the way they’re named, studied, and tracked.

Bibliography by Alex G

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FEMA, “FEMA For Kids” Jan. 2006 FEMA. 9 Jan. 2006. http://www.fema.gov/kids/r_hurrnames.htm

Gaffney, Timothy R. Hurricane Hunters. Berkley Heights: Enslow Publishers inc. 2001.

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Lipton, Eric “In Mississippi, Canvas Cities Rise Amid Hurricane’s Rubble” The New York Times 20 Dec. 2005

Minor, Eliot “Hurricanes wreak havoc with produce prices.” Montreal Gazette 14 Oct. 2005

Rieken, Kristie. “13 Louisiana fugitives captured in Texas” The Boston Globe 20 Dec. 2005

Sakany, Luis. Hurricane Hunters and Tornado Chasers: Life in the Eye of the Storm. New York: Rosen Central, 2003.

Toone, David. Storm Chasers: The Hurricane Hunters and Their Fateful Flight into Hurricane Janet. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 2002.

Wikipedia, ”Wikipedia”. Jan. 2006. open source. 9 Jan. 2006. en.wikipedia.org/hurricanes