In the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and 2018 brought several destructive hurricanes to the shores of North America, the Caribbean, and throughout the Pacific rim. Such extreme weather events are predicted to get more common and more severe with increasing climate change.
Several participating classes in the ISCFC were or are in the path of these storms and we hope for the best for them, their families and communities.
We would love to hear from students affected directly and indirectly by extreme weather events, and also any students who have been following the news this summer.
What are your thoughts about the connection between climate change and extreme weather events? Has this hurricane season increased your concern about climate change or not? Do you think that US citizens and residents (and others in the region) will take climate change more seriously now?
Extreme Weather >
Managing Debris After Natural Disasters
Recent catastrophic natural disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey and Irma, have generated a lot of debris. For example, remnants of buildings, destroyed electronics, vegetation debris, and household waste have littered streets and neighborhoods. According to an NPR News article, "More than 126,000 homes in the Houston area were damaged after Hurricane Harvey. Debris from the storm is estimated to fill space equivalent to 25 college football stadiums and take months to haul away." With some of this waste being toxic, it is important that officials properly dispose of the different types of waste, making sure that the disposal does not cause contamination of water sources and adversely affect public health. Therefore, the management of debris disposal is important in order to protect public health and lessen environmental impacts.
Link to NPR News article: http://www.npr.org/2017/09/22/552987013 … -haul-away
I agree with you Jessica. We need to properly manage the debris from these disasters, but in addition to all of the toxic wastes, there are some resources that we can recycle and reuse. From the wreckage, there may be supplies like books, clothing, shoes, and maybe furniture. These materials can be salvaged, cleaned, and redistributed amongst the people. Also, some of the materials that seem destroyed can possibly be put back together or reused as different parts. For example, if there is an earthquake, we could reuse the broken down buildings into concrete or new buildings. We can limit the amount of unused debris and recycle it for other uses.