As global warming worsens, weather patterns change and storms intensify.

The effects of these intense storms were experienced both locally and globally in August and September as Hurricane Ida swept through Louisiana, Cuba, East Coast of the United States, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Atlantic Canada, Colombia, and Venezuela, causing a total of $65.25 billion in damages.

After decades of human harm to the environment, it is important to become environmentally conscious to avoid hurricanes like Hurricane Ida and the devastation they cause.

Local communities experienced devastation as well when an EF2 tornado, which came with Ida on Sept. 1, flooded communities and knocked down power lines and trees.

Southern Pennsylvania alone suffered a loss of $100 million in damages. Several deaths in Montgomery County also occurred as a result of the storm.

Among many signs of damage around the Delaware Valley, the Schuylkill River flooded the Vine Street Expressway and damaged the Septa Regional Rail. In the suburbs, the storm destroyed the roof of the Upper Dublin Police Department.

Spring-Ford, along with many schools in the Philadelphia area, was shut down due to flooding and damage caused in the area.

Hurricane Ida was a deadly, destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that became the second-most damaging hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana on record, aside from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Climate Change is happening and it is clear through the progressively intensifying storms that action must be taken to help mitigate its effects. Ice sheets are melting and storm capacities are increasing due to the rising temperatures, ultimately causing destructive hurricanes around the globe.

Due to the warmer water available in our oceans, hurricanes have tended to intensify more rapidly over the past three years. As sea surface temperatures rise so does the potential for greater, more intense storms. Due to the additional energy available, the deeper, colder water has also gotten warmer too. Since the cooler water is no longer available to mix with the warm water, it is difficult to bring the impact of the potential storm down.

Furthermore, due to the rising temperatures, polar ice caps and glaciers are melting at a much faster rate, boosting the destructive properties of the hurricane. The increase in temperature is also associated with more moisture being held in the atmosphere, allowing for storm capacities to significantly increase.

By working together to conserve energy and engage in environmentally conscious practices, it is fully possible to help the climate crisis the world is experiencing today.