When hurricane Harvey hit Texas, every news channel was reporting the devastation.
People panicked and some even planned long drives down just to help the people there. Then hurricane Irma blasted through the Caribbean, but the focus was on the destruction in the sunshine state of Florida.
Hurricane Irma was a category 5 hurricane that went through the Caribbean, leaving it incredibly damaged. In Saint Martin, structures were swept away and in Saint Barthélemy, the streets were transformed into rushing rivers.
Anguilla’s only hospital was utterly destroyed, along with its schools and a vast number of homes. The British Virgin Islands were affected to such an extent that satellite images showed areas of the islands in complete and utter ruin.
This is what you can do: Fundly and GoFundMe are campaigns that aid numerous victims during this time of need. Taller Salud and Hispanic Federation are Puerto Rican campaigns that are devoted to help families affected.
The impact doesn’t end there. Hurricane Irma ruined the islands of Culebra and Vieques in Puerto Rico. The bridge that connects Haiti and the Dominican Republic was broken by heavy rain and whiplashing winds.
In Cuba – everyone’s favourite vacation spot – floods took away the homes of many people in the provinces of Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila. Buildings collapsed in the city of Santa Clara. The country has been left with billions of dollars in damages.
Hurricane Jose was said to be the next major storm to hit the Lesser Antilles. It was a category 4 hurricane that was downgraded to a tropical storm once it caused minimal destruction. Antigua and Barbuda were spared, after Irma damaged the areas drastically.
Hurricane Katia, a category 2 hurricane, destroyed parts of Mexico which created floods in numerous areas and mudslides in Xalapa. Many residents have been left without power.
A current hurricane, Lee, is on watch. The current storm status is a category 1, located east of Bermuda and seems to be remaining small.
Unfortunately, hurricane Maria has made an alarming appearance. Maria has created extreme havoc in the Caribbean islands and has been declared more intense than Irma. It is the second Category 5 hurricane of this season.
In the southern Windward Islands, the banana industry suffered and power outages were triggered. In Dominica, water levels alarmingly increased.
In Puerto Rico, heavy rains created unbearable floods and left millions of people without electricity. Similarly, in the Dominican Republic, homes are gone and the power is completely out. People are struggling to communicate in and out of these islands for help and for assurance to relatives living outside of the islands.
Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit stated, “the stars have fallen, Eden is broken. The nation of Dominica has come to declare an international humanitarian emergency.”
Hurricane Maria has decreased to a category 2 but her damages are unprecedented. Like Texas and Florida, the Caribbean Islands and Mexico have been largely impacted by these recent hurricanes.
Tourists are too captivated by the cheap deals to visit during this time of need. The constant news of the hurricanes seem to not have the same effect it once did when Harvey first arrived.
It is as if these storms are becoming too recurring, to the point that the impact is being ignored; the hurricanes’ effect on the United States consequently overshadowing the extent of destruction throughout the Caribbean islands and elsewhere.
Nevertheless, there are real people out there that need help.
This is what you can do: Fundly and GoFundMe are campaigns that aid numerous victims during this time of need. Taller Salud and Hispanic Federation are Puerto Rican campaigns that are devoted to help families affected.
Team Rubicon and All Hands are recruiting and sending out volunteers to assist. With a bit of research, you can find out numerous ways to help these victims. Sharing the news and having people aware with what is going on is also still a great way to assist.