“The Problem With the Hurricane Category Rating” Article Reflection No. 113 (10/7/2024)

Article:  “The Problem With the Hurricane Category Rating”

I can’t even imagine the helplessness and grief people must be facing from Hurricane Helene. Imagine your home being swept away in a moment. Imagine being lost on where to go next for the night. Imagine wondering where your loved one is. As the article conveys, we need an updated public warning system with an emphasis on rainfall to make the seriousness of such cases more clear. According to the article, hurricanes are typically categorized more by wind speeds; because this doesn’t reflect the extent of damage that may come, it seems that it is undermining, in general, the preparation levels of communities. I wonder how much of a role these types of measurements impact a hurricane’s level of destruction, and I also wonder if this can be an example about how we should try to make the best out of what we can control.