If You Care About Disaster Resilience, You Need to Study Cuba
America’s least favorite Caribbean nation is the model for how to weather a storm.
As of June 1st, the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is underway. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has predicted this season to be “above-normal,” bringing with it some 6–10 hurricanes and a likely 3–6 major (category 3+) hurricanes. Unsurprisingly, our current understanding of “above-normal” may not stay that way, as extraction-caused climate change brings warming ocean temperatures and rising sea levels that will likely increase the severity of topical storms.
According to a recent PBS survey, we may soon see the addition of a category 6 to the scale.
The NOAA’s predictions for this year look hauntingly similar to 2017, which is currently ranked the 4th most devastating Atlantic hurricane season since satellite imaging began. The worst, of course, was 2005 — the year of Katrina — and there is reason to believe this season could get that bad too.
We’re currently two months out from the peak of hurricane season. Tropical storms Alex, Bonnie and Colin have already arrived, and as we start pushing deeper into the alphabet, preparedness and response should be on everyone’s minds. As state and federal…
