A recent study claims that there is evidence to support the link. Published in the September 4th issue of the journal, Nature, the Florida State University report asserts that there is a connection between warming oceans and increased hurricane and tropical storm activity. Earlier reports have returned mixed results with some agreeing with this one and some denying that there is any link.
One thing that this report points out is the folly of building and rebuilding in areas likely to be affected by hurricanes. The Gulf and East Coasts of the US and the low-lying areas of Asia, Africa and other countries, and the islands that dot the earth’s oceans are heavily populated. Many of these areas have poor populations without the resources to relocate or rebuild should disaster strike.
The governments of these areas are often not in a position to give the kind of aid that these populations need to get back to normalcy after a storm hits. This is why, months and even years later in some cases, families are still living in temporary housing under unsanitary conditions.
In the US, there is everything from luxury hotels to small shacks scattered along the coasts. Much of the real estate is insured, but some insurers are starting to rethink the financial wisdom of allowing people to insure property that might be under water again a few months or years later. This is a good thing.
If global warming is causing an increase in the strength and frequency of hurricanes and storms, it’s folly to build in their paths. Human nature being what it is, it’s unlikely that people will stop building on flood plains and coasts unless they’re unable to be assured that they will be reimbursed if their property is lost to floods or storms. If the insurance business and the federal government stop supporting this behavior, maybe we can stop the construction of housing and businesses in harm’s way.
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