Florida Dodges Record Breaking Hurricane Season While Louisiana Recovers
Add the Atlantic hurricane season to the list of unprecedented happenings in the infamous year 2020, as a record has officially been set in the continental United States for storms making landfall. The Gulf Coast has endured more than their fair share of extreme weather after this weekend, now that Hurricane Delta has become the 10th storm to touch mainland soil since the summer, breaking a record that has stood for over a century.
Surprisingly, amidst a historic season such as this, the Sunshine State, particularly the typically treacherous South, has managed to dodge the usual damage. Floridians are no stranger to harsh winds and rainfall, which did brush state-lines a few times this season as a result of 9 hurricanes skirting by. Even the 10th, officially record-setting Delta this weekend, had already weakened to a post-tropical cyclone by the time it breeched Florida’s borders.
Louisiana, rather, took the brunt of the season, undergoing devastating damage from 4 separate storms, most notably Hurricane Laura in August, alone resulting in almost $14 billion in damage and 27 lives tragically lost.
A still deeply hurting and recovering Louisiana was struck this weekend by Delta. This, the strongest Greek letter named storm in history, struck land as a Category 3. Though it swiftly dropped to a Category 1, it still brought winds of about 100 mph and upwards of 15 inches of rain in some areas. The storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people and has taken 4 lives. Not to mention the thousands of evacuated citizens, displaced and waiting for help from FEMA. This serves as a reminder to all that hurricane death tolls are not only a direct result of the storm itself, but also the aftermath. Louisiana officials are stressing the importance of safe generator practice, and preparedness.
Come the official end of the season on November 30th, hopefully the Gulf Coast, namely Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, will find respite from a seemingly relentless season.
However, October is notorious in South Florida as the month with the most hurricanes, so perhaps the Sunshine State is not quite yet in the clear. Though this season has proven to be paradoxical for Florida, its citizens certainly remain familiar with the notion of expecting the unexpected, considering the fact that about 351,093 single-family residences are at extreme risk of hurricane damage each year.
The year 2020 has undoubtedly proven to be unpredictable in more ways than one. The best anyone can do to stay safe is to stay informed, to be prepared, and to remain hopeful, together.
