"Hurricane Florence" Topic

Now this looks awful:

link

I hope all our American members will be safe.

Given the number of devastating storms in the last few years and the promise of more with climate change, does the US government have some sort of measures to help with the devastation?

Here, they're setting up funding to assist with the health implications as well as building funding to help with the damage from anything from cyclones to drought that are being brought on by changes to the weather patterns.

Ochoin, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
is the US government organization charged with assisting
victims of natural and other disasters.

Within the state governments, the individual state
National Guard organizations are also equipped to
aid, especially in the area of water-rescues, temporary
bulk housing (shelters, if you will) and so forth. The
NG in our state is highly skilled in water rescues and
has in past years been very effective during the bouts
of flooding which have accompanied hurricanes.

States also have FEMA-like counterparts which usually
operate in conjunction with FEMA.

Funding for those affected can come from a number of
sources including government at all four levels (Federal
State County and Municipality). The downside to the
funding is that it may take quite some time to reach
those who need it.

Hurricane Matthew came through here 2 years ago. Some
people who had property totally destroyed received
their funding, recovered and have re-occupied their
dwellings (in time for Florence) while others are still
waiting for funds to complete rebuilding.

The majority, a large majority, of the damage we see
from each hurricane is due to flooding, just as flooding
and peoples' inexperience with it is the major cause of
hurricane fatalities.

Ed, I read an article about the medical implications of natural (& not so natural!) disasters and it specifically cited the mental disorders *depression, suicide etc) sparked By Matthew.

With the increasing of such devastating weather events, this type of thing is frightening. It is, of course, a government's job to provide succor for its people.

Given the number of devastating storms in the last few years and the promise of more with climate change,

Actually, that's incorrect. There have been *fewer* devastating storms in recent years, and no sign of any increase in either number or actual power levels, but rather the opposite. Yes "damage" goes up over time, but that's a factor of population, inflation, and construction amounts rather than the raw physical power of the storms. (More people=more property=more to damage, thus higher "devastation". Inflation=higher numerical monetary amounts, but not necessarily higher values in real dollars.)
So the storms are just storms, same as they've always been, every year. The impact is bigger only because there are more people to impact when a storm makes landfall, and a greater chance they will make landfall in a populated area. Or, to put it this way:
Storm blows over trees in a forest: Not news.
Storm blows over trees in a suburb: News.
The early global warming claims of "monster storms" have not panned out.

Actually, it is correct.
link

However, the science of climate change has been discussed extensively here & I do not feel the need to defend the defensible further. You feel free to believe what you want.

Nope, not gonna accept some private website from the "Union of Concerned Scientists" as proof or as extensive discussion of the science of climate change.

Monster storm" is down to a Cat 2 status. Most damage will come sustained rain, not wind or storm surge. And FEMA does an excellent job, but final implementation is with the local City and State governments. Katrina was a mess because the Mayor and Governor refused FEMA assistance and planning prior to the storm. There are emergency supplies still sitting on the tarmac in Puerto Rico because of the failure of local government agencies to distribute them(political motivations maybe involved).

So, the USA is very well prepared and capable of handling natural disasters.

And, hopefully where you live the responsible agencies are as well prepared as ours are in the USA.

Dave

Well, perhaps I'm in a minority (a small one), but I
believe that it's MY responsibility to do what I can
to prepare (irrespective of natural or perpetrated
disasters) and then to execute whatever plan I've
developed with family members, neighbors, etc.

The various levels of government will have plenty to do
helping those who don't feel as if the primary
responsibility for survival and recovery lies with them.

That said, I'll take help IF I need it and IF I can
see that as a result of my getting help, no one else
will lack.

I believe that the current analysis is that this hurricane/storm is one that is "very big and very wet".

Unlike all the previous famously small and dry hurricanes.

Sorry if I'm overplaying the science and detail – sometimes you just have to.

More information from our climate science specialist:

"this is a tough hurricane – one of the wettest we've ever seen, from the standpoint of water"

Yes indeed, very wet water this time, not the usual dry water you'd more likely expect.

And now Florence's cousin,Michael,is on the way.

Made landfall as a Cat 4 near Mexico Beach,FL,and appears to be weakening to Cat 1 or TS now.