Information for Readers About Hurricane Isaac

Introduction

The purpose of the report is to inform the readers about Hurricane Isaac. When researching hurricanes, meteorologists are scientists who study the troposphere and different types of weather conditions. Meteorologists track, forecast, report for every tropical storm. The Government and many organizations in America rely on these reports from the National Hurricane Center. Isaac was a tropical cyclone, which came to shore on Louisiana and Mississippi in August 2012.

It originated from a tropical wave along the west coast of Africa in August 2012. It was a category 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds and happened during the nighttime. The hurricane happened during the annual hurricane season which is through June 1 to November 30. Hurricane Isaac ended September 3, 2012 and had 41 fatalities.

Science Section

A hurricane is a storm with a violent wind and is extremely deadly and destructive that is a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean. All hurricanes are assigned with different names depending on where they have occurred and to keep track of them because sometimes there are more than one.

For all hurricanes, the maximum winds of 74 mph or higher. For a hurricane to form there is a pre-existing disturbance of warm ocean water, moist warm air, and light upper-level winds. The ocean water has to be above 26 degrees Celsius. They form when masses of warm moist air from oceans begin to rise quickly and collide with masses of cool air. “When a hurricane reaches land, it causes damages that can be catastrophic and result in a storm surge that can rise to 20 feet and extend for about 100 miles.

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Storm surges result in 90% of the deaths caused by hurricanes” (Kiprop). Furthermore, the effects are heavy rainfall, flooding, storm surge, winds, and tornadoes. If the storm is large and moving slowly, it is not uncommon for 5-10 inches of rain to fall and start flooding. When the edge of the storm reaches the shallow water of the continental shelf it will cause water piles up concluding in flooding. Winds of hurricane strength force the water onto shore. High wind can pull out trees, other large plants, houses, and tear down power lines. The aftermath can cause tornadoes spawned from hurricanes are more likely during an intense hurricane or one that is intensifying at or near landfall.

The physical forces are caused by the wind and the hurricane moves. “All of this air rushing in towards the center is subject to a phenomenon called the Coriolis Force. This is much like the centripetal force in that it is not a real force like gravity or electrostatic force rather, it is an apparent force the occurs due to the motion of the Earth. Imagine this, if a mass of air in the Northern hemisphere heads South towards a low-pressure region, it is moving away from the Earth’s axis” (National Geographic). The hurricane winds maximize is about to 25 miles in a small one and maximize 150 miles for a big one which can cause major damage. Thunderstorms are made up of dense bands ranging from ten or less miles and 50 to 300 miles long. Almost every year there is an average of 10 tropical storms over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico; therefore, half of them become hurricanes.

Social Aspects

The Humanitarian response was days after the Hurricane struck New Orleans, the Church Headquarters responded with making relief packages for the survivors. “Roughly 200 members of the Roswell Georgia Stake answered the call to help Hurricane Isaac victims on September 1. Church members and community members joined together at the bishops’ storehouse in Tucker, Georgia, on short notice, to package 2,000 boxes of food for Hurricane Isaac victims. Once the boxes of food were filled, a truck was loaded and sent to Louisiana. All 66,000 pounds of food will be distributed directly to those impacted by the storm” (Brett and Winters). On top of providing food and other supplies to the survivors, people were needing medical assistance. Furthermore, “the office of PAHO/WHO in the Dominican Republic remains in Barahona supporting the Coordination Center of Emergency and Disasters Response. The Ministry of Health has sent eight mobile clinics to affected areas.

The Ministry of Health is also strengthening the epidemiological surveillance measures in shelters and has sent supplies regarding waste disposal and water surveillance” (PAHO). The organizations helped monitored the water and air quality to improve the quality of life for the survivors. Climate change could have caused Hurricane Isaac or other weather issues. “In addition to planning and new infrastructure, it is essential to keep limiting emissions to slow the pace of climate change and the resulting sea-level rise. Curbing carbon emissions—through existing federal authorities, state actions, and new policies—can help reduce the impacts of climate change, protecting cities, and especially coastal communities” (Bradbury). These were all predictions that were made that could have caused the hurricane to occur. The early warnings for Hurricane Isaac were reported by CBS Miami they watched the hazards affecting the land including rainfall, surf, and speed of it.

“Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are forecast across southeastern Puerto Rico, while totals of 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 3 inches are possible across the remainder of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This rainfall may cause dangerous flash flooding. Swells generated by Isaac are affecting portions of the Lesser Antilles. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” (CBS). The political response towards Hurricane Issac was a Q and A with Scott Knowles. The Q and A discussed how the government was going to deal with the aftermath of the hurricane, how are they going to handle media on it. “Whatever happens with Isaac, we are dealing with the legacy of decisions made after September 11, and the [focus has been] away from hazards we know are going to happen every year. Hurricane season happens every year-we can be better prepared. We have taken our eye off of those because we focus on disasters we cannot predict. That is not to say we should not focus on terrorism prevention. We can do both, and we have not been” (Zankey). It was also discussed that many media sources were going to cover the topic and keep the public updated.

Conclusion

Hurricane Isaac was a devastating and destructive storm in the year 2012. Many lives were impacted and changed by the hurricane forever. The reason that Isaac was chosen is because of a hurricane but a category 1 compared to many other hurricanes. It was tracked and reported to the public as best as they could manage. I think hurricanes are important to predict and watch constantly because they cause major destruction where they hit. If we did not learn and change how to prepare for them then many more lives would be lost. Therefore, that is why I chose Hurricane Isaac as my report.

References

1. Bradbury, James. “Hurricane Isaac Caps Off America’s Summer of Extreme Weather.” World Resources Institute, 26 Sept. 2018
2. Brett, Dena, and David Winters. “Humanitarian Outreach: Hurricane Isaac Relief Efforts.” Church News and Events, 7 Sept. 2012
3. CBS. “All Watches and Warnings for Tropical Storm Isaac Have Ended.” CBS Miami, CBS Miami, 13 Sept. 2018
4. Kiprop, Victor. ‘What is a Hurricane?’ WorldAtlas, Jul. 17, 2018
5. PAHO. “Hurricane Isaac – Haiti.” Relief Web, 28 Aug. 2012
6. Staff, National Geographic. “What Are Hurricanes, and How Do They Form?” What Causes Hurricanes-Hurricane Facts, 29 Aug. 2017
7. Zankey, Maria. “Q & A with Scott Knowles: The Politics of Hurricane Isaac.” College of Arts and Sciences, 30 Aug. 2012