The pacific western region of the United States has been engulfed in several horrific and destructive natural disasters this summer. On August 20th, Hurricane Hilary wreaked havoc on southern California, resulting in historic levels of flooding and rainfall, decimating roads, creating power outages, destroying homes and resulting in mudslides. In San Bernardino County, over 13 and a half inches of rain fell in a single day, while 11.7 inches fell in the mountainous region of Riverside County, resulting in the aforementioned mudslides. Even Los Angeles County recorded over 7 inches of rain, and Downtown L.A. recorded 2.48 inches during the day, becoming the “wettest” day in the city’s history. Palm Springs, located in an area defined as a desert, recorded more than three inches of rain also breaking historic records. Ultimately, the storm shattered records in Southern California and brought widespread damage and disruption.
In Maui, the wildfires which occurred in August were the deadliest in American history. 114 people have been confirmed as deceased due to the disaster, and 1,000 others are missing, making the possible death toll much higher. In the simple terms of Maui’s police Chief John Pelletier, the scale of the disaster which occurred on the island is unprecedented.
But now, it appears the latest natural storm affecting the United States is Hurricane Idalia, which struck the southeastern Atlantic states of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. On Florida’s western coast in the Gulf of Mexico, it made landfall on Wednesday August 30th as a category 3 hurricane, resulting in gusts of winds reaching 160 miles per hour. Seawater levels reached 16 feet into many regions inland. Homes were destroyed, and thousands of trees were downed. Torrential rain continued into Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Winds reached 65 miles per hour in these regions. The effects of the storm did not dissipate until September 1st. Nothing, economically, culturally or naturally, is going right in America.
