Hurricanes are giant “heat engines” that draw energy from warm ocean water. As the planet’s climate changes, they are getting stronger and more destructive. They kill people, destroy homes and businesses, disrupt schools and hospitals, and force communities to rebuild from scratch. And they cause ripple effects that touch the health of people and ecosystems far beyond their boundaries.
People often get a few days’ notice when a storm is about to hit. They can then escape from the path of destruction by following local instructions to evacuate or stay in a shelter. But when a hurricane is a Category 3 or higher, it is so devastating that people must abandon their homes and communities, and they will need years to recover.
Category 1 and 2 hurricanes have less destructive winds, but they still cause power outages and damage to buildings. Category 4 and 5 storms have devastatingly high winds that can level houses, topple trees, and bring flooding. And Category 6 and above hurricanes can have tornadoes, which can be deadly.
Despite the catastrophic damage they cause, hurricanes are not designed to destroy people or their towns. They are simply the way the Earth redistributes heat energy between the poles and the equator.
Nevertheless, hurricanes can be deadly for people, especially those who live in marginalized communities that face health and safety challenges like where they work and live, how much money they make, whether they can afford healthy food, and how easy it is to access medical care. These are known as social determinants of health, and they make families more vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events like hurricanes.
About the Author
