They’re all forgetting the numerous, and changing, prognostications immediately following Hurricane Katrina. Witness Time Magazine’s Justin Worland
Why Climate Change Could Make Hurricane Impact Worse
Hurricane Katrina surprised disaster preparedness authorities when it made landfall 10 years ago, leveling entire communities and killing more than 1,800 people. The storm caused more than $100 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. But for all the damage the storm caused in New Orleans, Katrina was a relatively weak hurricane when it hit the city.
Wait, what? Katrina was a Category 3, with winds of 125mph, at landfall in Louisiana. That’s “relatively weak”?
In the academic community, the unexpected disaster prompted climate scientists to consider the link between climate change and storms. Since then, research has shown that climate change will increase the devastation caused by hurricanes as sea levels rise due to global warming. Some research has also suggested that climate change has increased the intensity and frequency of storms.
Ah, a new prognostication. Let’s not forget how this has evolved.
- We were told that the big hurricane season of 2005 would be “the new normal”, and that climate change was at fault. There would be lots and lots of landfalling hurricanes.
- When hurricane formation significantly decreased immediately, we were told that there would be fewer, but they would be more powerful
- When landfalling hurricane activity fell off the map (no major landfalling hurricanes in the U.S. for 3596 days, only 1-2 barely-a-hurricanes making landfall since 2008), we were told that climate change was actually decreasing the number of landfalling hurricanes, but we are still doomed in the future.
- Superstorm Sandy was declared as “the new normal”, and that we would have them all the time.
- Now we get “doom from sea level rise and the occasional hurricane”
Time is good enough to mention many of these, then spin the failed predictions awa
While scientists have come to a consensus about how storm surge will affect cities, research on how climate change affects hurricane strength and intensity remains unclear, and no findings have been positive. Many peer-reviewed studies suggest that warmer weather in tropical oceans has increased the frequency of tropical storm activity, though not necessarily the intensity. Others suggest that climate change has made storms more intense. Still other research has suggested that future storms will be both more frequent and more intense.
The projection of more frequent and more intense hurricanes might surprise even the causal weather observer. Indeed, a major hurricane of category 3 or higher hasn’t hit U.S. soil since 2005, according to a study from earlier this year. But the so-called hurricane drought shouldn’t be viewed as an indication of what’s to come. This year’s strong El Niño will likely reduce the chance of powerful hurricanes.
“Climate scientists” and activists make predictions that fail to materialize, and we’re not supposed to view what’s essentially a 10 year drought as an indication of what’s to come. We’re supposed to believe that they’ll be right in the future. We’ve even got the nutters wondering if we have to create a Category 6 for hurricanes.
Maybe people shouldn’t live in areas along the seashore that are below sea level? Perhaps they should live in areas with competent government? Katrina hit Mississippi and Alabama pretty darned hard (and Florida), yet, there were none of the problems associated with New Orleans, since they had competent state, county, and local government which didn’t wait till the last minute to declare emergencies, as they actually implemented their disaster plans. They also didn’t have a populace which was mostly dependent on Government telling them what to do.
Newsbusters highlights 10 specific unhinged predictions since Katrina. Over at Watts Up With That, Larry Kummer notes
Will a strong hurricane hit America and wreck another major city? Certainly, eventually. Unfortunately, it seems likely that that city hit will be only slightly better prepared than were New Orleans and New York City (hit by tropical storm Sandy in 2012). Our preparations for most forms of extreme weather are no better.
Historians will more accurately assess the causes of our irresponsible public policy than we can, but a large role clearly results from the often disturbing behavior of climate scientists, unlike what the public expects from those warning of a global disaster, and the routine exaggerations and false predictions by activists. Perhaps historians will assign even more blame to our unwillingness to take responsibility for this serious issue: get clearer answer and act accordingly.
Hurricanes happen. If Erika hits the East Coast, you know Warmists will link it to “climate change”, most likely by claiming that “climate change” made Erika worse.
Our honored host wrote:
Allow me to point out that, by some measures, Mississippi is our poorest state, yet was better prepared.
The problem is simple: New Orleans is a very vulnerable area, with large parts of the city situated below sea level; once the dikes were breached — and the city and the Corps of Engineers had been robbing from dike strengthening money for years and years for other projects — the city had to flood. Mississippi had flooding, too, but because it isn’t built below sea level, the flood waters drained away.
New Jersey, where “Superstorm” Sandy hit, isn’t used to direct hits from tropical storms, and wasn’t built to be prepared. New building codes for the densely populated Jersey shore have been put in place, codes that had been in place on the Outer Banks for decades, simply because the Carolinas have more experience with hurricanes.
Of course, the best defense was when Virginia Beach was threatened by Hurricane Gloria, and Pat Robertson prayed it away, sending it north to punish the liberals and homosexuals in Massachusetts. My house was spared, and the people who deserved the disaster got it. :)
They’ve (warmists) been predicting for ten years that we would see worsening hurricane seasons, and have been dead wrong so far.
If this one, the 5th named storm of the season and 10 years since Katrina, finally hits somewhere on US soil they will be gleeful, and if it really destructive, they will be orgasmic.
What kills me is that nothing is allowed to just be “weather” anymore. Not hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or droughts. Even though these things have occurred from time and memorial, when they happen now it has to be because of man made global warming. Gets old, and is backfiring on them if you ask my opinion.
Our host noted:
In a manner of speaking; Katrina had been a category 5 before it made landfall, and weakened to category 3 before hitting New Orleans. But most of the damage from Katrina was due to the flooding, after the levees were breached.
“Climate change could make hurricane impact worse.” Or, it could not. How very scientific. But anyway, what hurricanes?