Hurricane Matthew. Hurricane Matthew is approaching the US coast; residents are being evacuated in several states
Hello, dear friends! Vladimir Raichev is in touch with you. All weekend I watched how Hurricane Matthew would behave, what it would do to the United States, I think that I was not the only one interested in this question. And, as a matter of fact, I waited.
In general, I really like the names they give to various disasters. Either Hurricane Sandy or Katrina. It seems that the names are so beautiful, but there is so much destruction from them.
About nine hundred people were affected by the natural disaster, this time in the form of Hurricane Matthew! Details are provided below.
A powerful Atlantic hurricane named Matthew formed from a tropical cyclone in coastal Africa on September 22. Moving towards Florida, it rapidly gained strength.
On October 1, measuring instruments installed by scientists at the Matthew epicenter showed 185 km/h, and a little later - on the coastal part of Haiti - already 230 km/h. In Cuba, residents encountered a hurricane with a power of 120 km/h.
On October 5, more than a million Cubans living on the coast were urgently evacuated to the center of Cuba. On October 6, the storm weakened slightly, affecting the Bahamas and Miami, but the very next day Matthew's speed reached 220 km/h, which indicates the 5th, highest, danger line according to the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Hurricane damage
The damage caused by Hurricane Matthew cannot be overstated. 877 residents of the Caribbean were killed, about 350 thousand remained in desperate need of help, more than 3.5 thousand buildings were completely destroyed.
In this regard, more than 20 thousand people are placed in 152 temporary shelters. Doctors are forced to prepare for a cholera outbreak due to damage to the water supply and sewerage systems.
The hurricane began to move towards Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. On October 6, Obama organized the evacuation of about 2 million people from 3 states. Additional work was carried out in connection with the evacuation of residents of the Florida coastline.
6 thousand national guardsmen and several specially trained rescue teams were involved. Educational institutions and other government agencies were temporarily closed, and all flights to Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando were urgently cancelled.
Matthew vs USA
On October 8, to everyone’s joy, the wind weakened to 23 km/h. And in North Carolina, Matthew's speed was only 3 km/h.
Forecasters predict the extinction of "Matthew". On October 9, it began to move towards the Atlantic Ocean, gradually retreating from the US coast.
This is how the confrontation between the violent Matthew and the United States ended. We parted ways. I have a friend who lives in Florida, and from him, in fact, I learned that the hurricane did almost no harm to Americans. But the preparation there was serious.
I guess I'll finish here. As always, I was glad to meet you. And by tradition, I recommend that you subscribe to blog updates to receive news first-hand. Today there is not enough time to conduct the mailing list. But very soon I will free up some time for this.
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After Hurricane Matthew hit, train stations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were nearly packed with people fleeing the storm, and food was nearly swept off grocery store shelves. Overnight, wind speeds at the hurricane's epicenter reached 125 mph.
Florida residents are buying food
Hurricane Matthew, which killed at least 26 people and caused damage to homes in southern Haiti, is forecast to grow from a Category III storm to a Category IV storm on its way to eastern Florida. Muds are expected on Thursday evening, the US National Hurricane Center predicted.
“Everyone should be prepared now for the possibility of becoming a victim of a disaster. If Matthew directly impacts Florida, the destruction could be catastrophic, and we need to be prepared for that,” the Florida governor said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday Scott.
Four states that are in the path of the hurricane, 255 miles southeast of West Palm Beach, declared a state of emergency, and state governors decided to mobilize the National Guard.
Shelters in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina opened their doors after authorities, along with US President Barack Obama, urged local residents to leave their homes.
Federal emergency response teams are working with officials in all four states and are also organizing stockpiling, Obama said.
Scott asked President Obama to pre-announce the mudslide, declaring a state of emergency for Florida, which has resources including food, water and impervious coatings and a redoubled active National Guard force of 3,000.
Schools and airports across the region were to be closed on Thursday and some hospitals evacuated patients, local media reported. Hundreds of flights were canceled from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, according to data from Flightaware.com.
In total, over 12 million US residents were warned that a hurricane was approaching.
Waiting for the storm
In Florida, gas stations posted "Out of Gas" signs after hundreds of motorists waited in long lines to fill their tanks.
People stocked up on water, milk and canned goods, emptying grocery store shelves, local media footage showed.
Residents and business owners boarded up windows with plywood and storm shutters and placed sandbags to protect properties from flooding.
The National Hurricane Center noted that it is too early to predict that Hurricane Matthew will cause maximum damage in the United States. Matthew is the strongest hurricane to hit the Caribbean since Felix, which struck in 2007.
Wind, wind, you are powerful, you drive flocks of clouds..." And also animals, trees and entire buildings. Hurricanes, tornadoes and tornadoes are one of the most destructive phenomena of nature. Hurricane "Matthew", which is about to reach the shores The USA has already become the most powerful tropical cyclone in the Atlantic in the last nine years. It has accounted for several hundred victims.
Before Matthew, the record holder was held by Hurricane Felix, which swept through in 2007. Then "Felix" hit the Caribbean coast of Central America. As a result, 38 people died in Nicaragua, and more than 200 are missing. Thousands of houses were destroyed, 50 thousand people were left homeless. The coastal town of Puerto Cabezas was virtually wiped off the face of the earth.
Hurricane Matthew is already catching up with its predecessor. In Haiti alone, the death toll from the hurricane exceeded three hundred people. In some cities across the country, the hurricane destroyed up to 80% of buildings. Moreover, the bridge connecting the two parts of the island was destroyed - the only road to the capital Port-au-Prince was blocked. According to the UN, about 350 thousand people require assistance in Haiti - the poorest country in the region is facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
In the neighboring Dominican Republic, four people died from the hurricane; in Cuba there were no deaths, but the city of Baracoa, which is considered the oldest in the country, was significantly destroyed.
A few days ago the wind strength began to subside, but not for long. Matthew's danger level had previously been raised again to category four out of five. The hurricane is now moving towards Florida - the National Hurricane Prediction Center has warned that the storm could produce waves up to five meters high. A storm of such strength has not approached the shores of Florida since 2004. According to forecasters, Matthew is about to hit the central and northern parts of the Florida coast, and then move towards Georgia and South Carolina. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in these three states. Educational institutions and government agencies are closed, people are buying water and food en masse. In fact, flights from Miami airport have been completely stopped, and the Disney World amusement park has closed. More than three million people have already been evacuated from coastal areas.
Hurricane Matthew was initially a cyclone with tropical storm strength. It formed off the coast of Africa at the end of September and has already caused severe floods in Mexico and Central America. As a result of Matthew's activities, 11 people died in Mexico. Houses, roads, bridges were destroyed by the elements. But "Matthew" was only gaining strength.
Where does the wind blow from
In meteorology, hurricanes are storms with wind speeds of more than 30 m/s. In addition, hurricane is the name of tropical cyclones in North and South America. According to legend, the word "hurricane" comes from the name of the Mayan wind god Huracan - "the one who throws down." It was Huracan who created the earth. According to another legend, Huracan is the god of fear among the South American Quiche Indians.
In the western Pacific Ocean, hurricanes are called “typhoons” (from the Chinese “tai fung” or “tai feng”, which means “big wind”), in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal - “cyclones”, off the coast of Australia - “willy willy”, in Oceania it is “willy wow”, and in the Philippines it is “baguio”.
The average duration of a hurricane is 9-12 days. The main thing for a hurricane to occur is the appearance of a low pressure area in the atmosphere. Air masses in the tropics are very warm and humid, resulting in powerful updrafts that lead to a drop in pressure in the area. Air currents immediately rush into this area of low pressure. The process is similar to how, as a result of draining water from a bathtub, a whirlpool is formed in the drain hole.
Due to the rotation of the Earth around its own axis, the winds in a hurricane are directed not towards its center, but tangentially to a circle described around this center. Under the influence of the Earth's daily rotation, this air swirls counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Hurricane strength is measured using the Saffir-Simpson scale, which has five categories. The fifth is the strongest.
In 2015, Hurricane Patricia literally blew a train of 11 cars off the bridge. The hurricane, which formed in mid-October 2015, became one of the strongest in the history of meteorological observations: the wind force inside the hurricane reached 325 kilometers per hour with individual gusts up to 400 kilometers per hour.
In the Atlantic, hurricane season begins on June 1st. A hurricane season is considered moderate in intensity, with 11 storms occurring, six of which become hurricanes, and only two hurricanes reaching or exceeding Category 3.
The most destructive season for the Atlantic was the 2005 season, when 28 strong storms were recorded, 15 of which turned into hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina then killed more than 1.3 thousand people in the southern states of the United States.
The Great Hurricane of 1780, or San Calixto, is considered the most destructive hurricane in history. It raged in the fall of 1780 near the Caribbean archipelago. According to documents of that time, the disaster claimed the lives of 22 thousand people. Part of the French and English flotillas that took part in the American Civil War went under water.
Hurricane Andrew in 1992 brought destruction and death to the northwestern Bahamas, southern Florida and southwestern Louisiana. 26 people died directly from the effects of the hurricane, and 39 people from its consequences. Officially, Andrew caused $26.5 billion in damage.
The most powerful hurricane in Hawaii was called Iniki (September 1992). At its peak, wind speeds reached 235 km/h. Six people died, but the destruction was catastrophic for the small island. Damage totaled over $1.8 billion.
Hurricane Mitch (October 1998) raged in the southern Caribbean Sea. Wind gusts reached 320 kilometers per hour. The hurricane affected the territories of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. As a result, about 20 thousand people died, more than a million were left homeless.
Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) was the most destructive hurricane to hit the American coast. Approximately 80% of New Orleans was flooded. The damage amounted to $80 billion, the hurricane claimed 1,836 lives, 705 are still considered missing. In addition, looters took advantage of the natural disaster, against whom the police were powerless.
What do you name the boat?
At first, hurricanes received their names haphazardly. For example, Hurricane Santa Anna reached the city of Puerto Rico on July 26, 1825, St. Anna. The name could be given to the area that suffered the most from the disaster. Sometimes the name was determined by the very form of development of the hurricane. Thus, for example, hurricane “Pin” No. 4 got its name in 1935, the shape of its trajectory resembled the mentioned object. Australian meteorologist Clement Wragg named typhoons after members of parliament who refused to vote on credits for weather research.
During World War II, U.S. Air Force and Navy meteorologists began naming typhoons after their wives or girlfriends. As a result, assigning female names to hurricanes became part of the system. The first hurricane of the year began to be called by a woman's name, starting with the first letter of the alphabet, the second - with the second, and so on. The names chosen were short, easy to pronounce and easy to remember. There was a list of 84 female names for typhoons. In 1979, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), together with the US National Weather Service, expanded this list to include male names.
Since there are several basins where hurricanes form, there are also several lists of names. For Atlantic basin hurricanes there are 6 alphabetical lists, each with 21 names, which are used for 6 consecutive years and then repeated. If there are more than 21 Atlantic hurricanes in a year, the Greek alphabet will come into play. If a hurricane is particularly destructive, its name is removed from the list. For example, meteorologists will no longer use the name “Katrina.”
Space hurricanes
The wind is raging not only on Earth: on the planet Jupiter, a giant anticyclone hurricane called the Great Red Spot has been walking on the planet Jupiter for at least 340 years. Its dimensions are constantly changing, but it can reach 14 thousand km in width and 40 thousand km in length - this is like six radii of planet Earth. The Great Red Spot is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet and moves parallel to the equator. It rotates counterclockwise with a rotation period of about 6 Earth days. And the wind speed inside the giant can exceed 500 km/h.
The death toll from Hurricane Matthew in Haiti today has reached almost 600 people. This data is provided by Reuters. There is colossal destruction on the island, and a powerful whirlwind, meanwhile, is heading towards the east coast of the United States. There is a hasty evacuation of residents in several states at once. Authorities estimate that about two million people are at risk. Experts also predict economic consequences: Hurricane Matthew could shut down 33 million barrels of oil storage facilities, leading to a sharp jump in oil prices. Gasoline prices have already gone up in Florida.
It is now almost impossible to get fresh footage from the Florida coast - the work of film crews has become extremely dangerous. Here is a correspondent from Orlando reports: “weather forecasters have downgraded the hurricane category,” and at the same time admits that she is forced to hide behind concrete blocks. It’s impossible to resist in the open space now and these are only the echoes of “Matthew”. As he moves along the coast. The peninsula froze. If the hurricane's trajectory shifts even a few kilometers, Florida may face the same fate as Haiti - there "Matthew" has already subsided, but has already left more than five hundred dead in its wake.
“I have lived in this city for 71 years and have never seen anything like this. Of course, I’ll tell you the impressions - the hurricane just demolished everything,” says one of the local residents.
One of the world's poorest countries must rely on international aid. The European Commission has decided to allocate emergency funds - however, so far only a quarter of a million dollars. The situation is urgent. According to preliminary estimates, several thousand houses were completely destroyed. Entire villages are blocked by landslides. There is no connection with them.
A few hours ago, a special research aircraft penetrated Matthew and reached the so-called eye of the storm. The center of the hurricane, where it is always clear, is clearly visible from space. The scale of the threat is also clearly visible from aboard the ISS. At any moment, the entire Florida peninsula could become uninhabitable for weeks, CNN predicts.
“We haven't seen a hurricane of this magnitude in almost 120 years. We can't even imagine what we are about to experience. It is in your best interest to evacuate before it is too late. Hurricane Matthew shows no sign of weakening, with wind speeds at its epicenter now reaching nearly two hundred and thirty kilometers per hour,” said National Weather Bureau spokesman Ben Nelson.
Hundreds of thousands of coastal residents are already left without electricity. Strong winds easily tear high-voltage lines, turning grocery shopping into a game with death.
There are two million people in the possible disaster zone. People stock up not only on food, but also on water. According to the author of the footage leaked online, buyers are fighting over a plastic bottle.
Authorities have opened several centers for emergency accommodation of people. No one has any doubt that they will be useful - the shelters are already working.
“I am homeless and live in a tent. I came here to wait out the storm,” says one of the residents of the center, Brad Witt.
The National Guard is on high alert, and the governor of Florida, in a special televised address, asked not to resist the evacuation. A state of emergency has also been declared in neighboring states - South Carolina and Georgia.
