By GAVIN LAMBERT
Elawodi (Yellowhill)
I’d like to start this article by sending my thoughts and prayers to any business or family affected by Hurricane Helene; it was truly devastating, and I wish only the best to those who were and still are. At this time, many of you might be asking, “Why did an inner city get hit so hard from a hurricane?”
I’d like to start this article by sending my thoughts and prayers to any business or family affected by Hurricane Helene; it was truly devastating, and I wish only the best to those who were and still are. At this time, many of you might be asking, “Why did an inner city get hit so hard from a hurricane?”
Well, the earth is getting warmer due to climate change; it’s the biggest factor in the drastic increase in hurricane severity. As the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions states, “Warmer sea surface temperatures intensify tropical storm wind speeds, giving them the potential to deliver more damage if they make landfall. The number of major hurricanes has increased while the number of smaller hurricanes has decreased. Based on modeling, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an increase in Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, alongside increased hurricane wind speeds. Warmer sea temperatures also cause wetter hurricanes, with 10-15 percent more precipitation from storms projected.” (c2es.org 2021). This could mean more hurricanes of this magnitude could impact our area in the future.
So, why am I telling you all of this? Not to invoke panic or make you worry but rather to inform the members of my tribe so we can be better prepared for events like this in the future and perhaps take small actions as a community to help slow, or even reverse, the effects of climate change. Now I know what some of you may be thinking: “How can me or my family make any difference to a countrywide problem?” Well, think, if everyone has this mentality, nothing is going to change, but imagine what we could accomplish if everyone thought that their little bit of work meant something. Think of it like bricks. Sure, a brick alone can’t do much, but with a lot of bricks, you could build a home, and every single one of those bricks keeps the house together.
Small changes can be made to better our community, like turning on cruise control on longer trips to save gas, unplugging kitchen appliances when not in use, avoiding products with excess packaging, and trying to bring your own bags to go shopping, even if they are just the plastic ones you got from your previous trips. And those are just a few examples of the many ways to reduce your footprint. We can make it through this together.
