The East Coast of the United States dodged a devastating bullet by a mere few hundred miles this week when Hurricane Dorian hugged the coastline off Florida before churning up to the Carolinas after devastating parts of the Bahamas. East Coasters can breathe a sigh of relief, for now, until the next post-Cat 5 Monster eyes the shorelines again, and as we all know, that will be sooner rather than later.
The truly catastrophic devastation Dorian left behind in the Bahamas is literally too unbelievable to be true. Aerial footage of the disaster shows mile after mile of complete destruction that no overblown Hollywood disaster film could think to create with CGI effects. There is no hyperbole needed to describe the destruction, in fact, most words are inadequate. The facts and figures surrounding Dorian's impact on the Bahamas are sobering, startling and, quite frankly, terrifying and depressing.
The official Bahamian government's assess report of the storm's destruction was issued a few days ago, and I suggest everyone reading this blog to read the full report here: n.pr/2lzRuMG (Scroll down to read pdf file of report.)
Some of the most important outakes from the dossier:
Dorian was only the fourth Category 5 storm to strike the island chain since 1900, when records were kept and the only storm with sustained wind speeds over 185mph.
The record-breaking winds created a storm surge of over 20 feet, inundating the low-lying island chain with a massive wind-driven, deadly and devastating tsunami of water.
After making its initial landfall near Abaco Island, the storm stalled to a mere 1mph, subjecting the islands to the truly unimaginable: Category 5 winds in excess of 185 mph for over 24 hours. This undoubtedly created a Hell on Earth situation for the citizens. Bahamians are accustomed and prepared for hurricanes, but there is NO AMOUNT of preparation anyone could do to be ready for such a storm, except leave, which is highly-difficult for island-dwellers.
The official estimate of the storm's damage is $7 Billion US, however, this estimate DOES NOT include damage to critical infrastructure or loss of automobiles. This easily could add another four to six billion dollars to the total. An insured versus uninsured figure is currently not available.
The report goes on to conclude that recovery from the storm's overwhelming devastation will be "generational", meaning it will be several generations before the island's most impacted will have recovered to a point before the storm. Allow that sink in for a moment before continuing...
Countless harrowing stories of the intense struggle between life and death have emerged from the islands in the days since the storm passed. The official death count at the time of writing stands at 48, with many hundreds currently listed as missing. A diaspora event is also taking place, with thousands of survivors desperately trying to get off the islands devastated the most (Abaco & Grand Bahama Island).
I felt this story was important enough to resurrect my blog after a two-year hiatus. To anyone who has remained on the fence with regards to climate change (or in complete denial), my caveat to you would be: Pretend... until you can't. The next Dorian is only a matter of days, weeks, months away somewhere on the planet. Will it be where you live?
Watch this video with aerial footage of the devastation on Abaco Island to get a full-scope of the catastrophe:
The truly catastrophic devastation Dorian left behind in the Bahamas is literally too unbelievable to be true. Aerial footage of the disaster shows mile after mile of complete destruction that no overblown Hollywood disaster film could think to create with CGI effects. There is no hyperbole needed to describe the destruction, in fact, most words are inadequate. The facts and figures surrounding Dorian's impact on the Bahamas are sobering, startling and, quite frankly, terrifying and depressing.
The official Bahamian government's assess report of the storm's destruction was issued a few days ago, and I suggest everyone reading this blog to read the full report here: n.pr/2lzRuMG (Scroll down to read pdf file of report.)
Some of the most important outakes from the dossier:
Dorian was only the fourth Category 5 storm to strike the island chain since 1900, when records were kept and the only storm with sustained wind speeds over 185mph.
The record-breaking winds created a storm surge of over 20 feet, inundating the low-lying island chain with a massive wind-driven, deadly and devastating tsunami of water.
After making its initial landfall near Abaco Island, the storm stalled to a mere 1mph, subjecting the islands to the truly unimaginable: Category 5 winds in excess of 185 mph for over 24 hours. This undoubtedly created a Hell on Earth situation for the citizens. Bahamians are accustomed and prepared for hurricanes, but there is NO AMOUNT of preparation anyone could do to be ready for such a storm, except leave, which is highly-difficult for island-dwellers.
The official estimate of the storm's damage is $7 Billion US, however, this estimate DOES NOT include damage to critical infrastructure or loss of automobiles. This easily could add another four to six billion dollars to the total. An insured versus uninsured figure is currently not available.
The report goes on to conclude that recovery from the storm's overwhelming devastation will be "generational", meaning it will be several generations before the island's most impacted will have recovered to a point before the storm. Allow that sink in for a moment before continuing...
Countless harrowing stories of the intense struggle between life and death have emerged from the islands in the days since the storm passed. The official death count at the time of writing stands at 48, with many hundreds currently listed as missing. A diaspora event is also taking place, with thousands of survivors desperately trying to get off the islands devastated the most (Abaco & Grand Bahama Island).
I felt this story was important enough to resurrect my blog after a two-year hiatus. To anyone who has remained on the fence with regards to climate change (or in complete denial), my caveat to you would be: Pretend... until you can't. The next Dorian is only a matter of days, weeks, months away somewhere on the planet. Will it be where you live?
Watch this video with aerial footage of the devastation on Abaco Island to get a full-scope of the catastrophe: