Florida Brace for Impact as Hurricane Dorian approaches
Words by Austen Hunt
People in the state of florida have piled sandbags and boarded their houses in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian. The category 5 storm is set to make landfall on Tuesday the 3rd of September with wind speeds pushing above 180mph (285km/h). Forecasters have warned that Dorian may be the largest hurricane experienced in the last 30 years with the potential to cause ‘extremely dangerous’ conditions for residents in its path. The last storm to rival the size of Dorian occurred in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew tore the gulf apart, leaving 250,000 people displaced, 26 people dead, and $27.3 billion in damages.
The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has declared a ‘state of emergency’ across every county in the state, however, has fallen short of declaring any emergency evacuations. The Governor has acknowledged the strain that the oncoming storm is having on fuel reservoirs. As residents are rushing to stockpile on fuel, food, and any other survival materials. The strain on state fuel reserves has been so great that the state is mobilising highway patrol vehicles to escort fuel trucks to densely populated areas.
The state of Florida is likely to be the most affected by the oncoming storm, however, the entire east coast of America currently stands to be in Dorian’s path. The communities along the east coast, from Georgia through to the Carolinas, have begun to defend their homes with sandbags, planks of wood and supplies in anticipation for Dorians impact.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has released some confusing statements which may, to the right ear, offer some form of consolation to the state of Florida. Expressing concern for his ‘Winter White House’, his Mar-a-lago golf course, President Trump has assured the people of Florida that “Yeah, it would look like Mar-a-Lago is dead center but look Mar-a-Lago can handle itself. That's a very powerful place.". The President did not shy away from the opportunity to attack the American Territory Puerto Rico for being “incompetent and corrupt” as Dorian makes contact with the Caribean Island. A strong comment which stands alongside the President’s failure to acknowledge the impact of past natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria, which hit the territory in 2017. A catastrophe that left more than more than 3000 people dead in its wake.
As the Hurricane rushes towards the shoreline of America’s South East, time will tell what damage it will cause or how long it will rage for. The American citizens have prepared themselves as best they can for another natural disaster. A preparation which will have to become far more common place as the frequency and magnitude of these disasters is set to be exacerbated by the onset of climate change.