2012 Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially known as "Superstorm Sandy") was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Classified as the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba.[1] While it was a Category 2 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km)).[3][4] Estimates as of 2015 assessed damage to have been about $75 billion (2012 USD), a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina.[5] At least 233 people were killed along the path of the storm in eight countries.[2][6]
Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas.[7] On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then[8] moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey, just to the northeast of Atlantic City, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.[1][9]
2020 Hurricane Eta
- Weather ChannelEta was the 28th storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which tied the 2005 season for the most storms on record. It's also the 12th hurricane of the season, which ties for the second-most on record for a year in the Atlantic.
Eta will be known for producing catastrophic rainfall in parts of Central America, then snaking through the western Caribbean, eventually causing several feet of storm surge to pile up on Florida's west coast. - Hurricane EtaThis Wikipedia article provides a brief history impact and current storm information of the trajectory of the storm and the damages left behind in most of Central America, some parts of the Caribbean, and the United States.
2019 Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian formed on August 24, 2019 from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and gradually strengthened as it moved toward the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on August 28. Rapid intensification occurred, and on August 31, Dorian became a Category 4 hurricane. On September 1, Dorian reached Category 5 intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, and a minimum central pressure of 910 mb (26.87 inHg) while making landfall in Elbow Cay, Bahamas. Dorian made another landfall on Grand Bahama several hours later.
- Hurricane Dorian: Bahamas RecoveryNPR: Little Miracles, Huge Problems: The Bahamas A Month After Dorian
- Hurricane Dorian: NOAADorian was the strongest hurricane to hit the northwestern Bahamas in modern records, resulting in numerous deaths and causing devastation on Great Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands. Dorian also affected a large portion of the United States eastern seaboard as a hurricane and reached Nova Scotia as a very strong post-tropical cyclone.
2017: Hurricane Maria
Maria was a very severe Cape Verde Hurricane that ravaged the island of Dominica at category 5 (on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) intensity, and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4 hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in United States history.
- 2017 Hurricane Maria: Facts, FAQs, and how to helpLess than two weeks after Hurricane Irma and a month after Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Maria hit numerous islands in the Caribbean.
It became a Category 3 storm Sept. 18 after doubling in strength in just 24 hours. Then it maintained its rapid growth, becoming a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph Sept. 19 after making its way through the Leeward Islands. - Hurricane MariaProvides both a summary of Hurricane Maria, its' origin and damages.
- 'I Don't Feel Safe': Puerto Rico Preps For Next Storm Without Enough Government HelpNearly two years after Hurricane Maria, how Puerto Rico has recovered.
2020 Tornadoes: Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana
On April 22-23, 2020, powerful thunderstorms blew across eastern Texas and western Louisiana and spawned several tornadoes, including some that caused severe damage.
- AP NewsA widespread and deadly tornado outbreak affected the Southeastern United States on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 12–13, 2020. Several tornadoes were responsible for prompting tornado emergencies, including the first one to be issued by the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina.[5] A large squall line formed and tracked through the mid-Atlantic on April 13, prompting more tornado warnings and watches. A total of 15 watches were produced during the course of the event, two of which were designated Particularly Dangerous Situations.
- 2020 Tornado: Pandemic ComplicatesOver 400 counties across 12 Southern states reported damage from severe wind, hailstorms, and, in many cases, tornadoes over Easter weekend. As of April 15, the National Weather Service had confirmed 104 tornadoes touched down across the region, many of them in rural areas.
2019 Typhoon Hagibis: Japan
Typhoon Hagibis slammed into Japan over the weekend, dropping more than 35 inches of rain in some places and causing catastrophic flooding in communities in the region around Tokyo, as well as further inland.
- NPR: Typhoon Hagibis2019 a powerful Typhoon caused damages and more in Japan.
- Aftermath: Typhoon HagibisIn pictures: View the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis that hit Japan in 2019.
Natural Disaster News
Books Not to Miss
Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal by ISBN: 9781788739856Publication Date: 2020-09-22An inquiry into how to build the political force to make a global Green New Deal a reality"-- Provided by publisher.
Our Only Home by ISBN: 9781335218469Publication Date: 2020-11-17Publisher Annotation: Saving the climate is our common duty. With each passing day, climate change is causing Pacific islands to disappear into the sea, accelerating the extinction of species at alarming proportions and aggravating a water shortage that has affected the entire world. In short, climate change can no longer be denied—it threatens our existence on earth. In this new book, the Dalai Lama, one of the most influential figures of our time, calls on political decision makers to finally fight against deadlock and ignorance on this issue and to stand up for a different, more climate-friendly world and for the younger generation to assert their right to regain their future. From the voice of the beloved world religious leader comes an eye-opening manifesto that empowers the generation of today to step up, take action and save our environment. 192pp., 50K
The Fragile Earth by ISBN: 9780063017542Publication Date: 2020-10-06The New Yorker has devoted enormous attention to climate change, describing the causes of the crisis, the political and ecological conditions we now find ourselves in, and the scenarios and solutions we face. This collection takes features some of the best writing on global warming from the last three decades, including McKibben's seminal essay "The End of Nature," the first piece to popularize both the science and politics of climate change for a general audience. In its range, depth, and passion, it promises to bring light, and sometimes heat, to the great emergency of our age. -- adapted from jacket.
The Story of More by ISBN: 9780525563389Publication Date: 2020-03-03Hope Jahren is an award-winning geobiologist, a brilliant writer, and one of the seven billion people with whom we share this earth. The Story of More is her impassioned open letter to humanity as we stand at the crossroads of survival and extinction. Jahren celebrates the long history of our enterprising spirit--which has tamed wild crops, cured diseases, and sent us to the moon--but also shows how that spirit has created excesses that are quickly warming our planet to dangerous levels. In short, highly readable chapters, she takes us through the science behind the key inventions--from electric power to large-scale farming and automobiles--that, even as they help us, release untenable amounts of carbon dioxide. She explains the current and projected consequences of greenhouse gases--from superstorms to rising sea levels--and the science-based tools that could help us fight back. At once an explainer on the mechanisms of warming and a capsule history of human development, The Story of More illuminates the link between our consumption habits and our endangered earth. It is the essential pocket primer on climate change that will leave an indelible impact on everyone who reads it"-- Provided by publisher.
2019-2020 Puerto Rico: Earthquake
This map shows ground changes, or displacement, on the eastern two-thirds of Puerto Rico following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake. The ground shifted up to 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) in a downward and slightly west direction.
- NASA: Puerto Rico EarthquakeAn overview of a series of earthquakes that have been affecting the island since December 2019. The severity of the aftershocks and the damages this caused.
- The Weather Channel: Earthquake Puerto RicoEarthquake Damages Homes and Businesses in Puerto Rico; 50 Families Displaced
2019-2020 Wildfires
- Wildfires: AustraliaComprehensive fire surveillance will strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate change.
- 2019–20 Australian BushfireIn June 2019, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August. The warning was based on the Northern Australia bushfire seasonal outlook noting exceptional dry conditions and a lack of soil moisture, combined with early fires in central Queensland. Throughout the summer, hundreds of fires burnt, mainly in the southeast of the country. The major fires peaked during December–January.
- 2020 North American WildfiresIn many western areas of the United States and Canada, every year brings the risk of wildfires, especially between August to November. The 2020 season has started with intensity with fires in several states and provinces. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is following all fires and reporting on the largest and most destructive ones. Please see our What We’re Watching: Weekly Disaster Update blog every Tuesday afternoon for more updates.