The Danger We Know

Thursday June 10, 2010

I have been beating the drum and calling out warnings related to the potential danger of the present hurricane season. "Listen, I cry out, the sea temperatures which fuel the storms are warmer than 2005. Surely you remember Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma and what they did to us. Now is the time to prepare!"

People are still listening to me but their reaction is much different this year. I am encountering a great deal of fatalistic and apathetic behavior and I don't like it. Everyone wants to know one thing from me and that is, "How will the oil spill impact hurricanes?"

So I've spent some time doing a little research trying to find the answer. If a hurricane forms and tracks from the west to the east of the oil slick it could push the oil to shore. However if the hurricane comes at the oil slick from the east the winds could push the oil away from landfall. (Remember that a hurricane spins in a counter-clockwise rotation.) There are just too many variables to take into consideration. So the truth is I don't know how the oil spill will impact a hurricane and I don't think anyone does. This is a disaster we have never had to face before and so there is no past experience to guide us.

We have had a great deal of experience with hurricanes. We know what they can do and what we need to do to be prepared for them. The coming storm season could be a deadly one. Everyone needs to start preparing now for the danger we know.

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