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Global Weather Chaos: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Flooding
Image Source: Flickr. By: Tula_7755
Yesterday, Chile was hit by an 8.8 earthquake—one of the worst ever recorded. Homes, highways and bridges were torn apart and at least 214 people have been found dead so far. To make matters worse, that isn’t even the full extent of the damage and the death toll will most likely rise. A 15-story building in Concepcion (Chile’s second largest city) collapsed. The nation’s capital, Santiago, saw damage to parking garages, hospitals and other buildings. The airport also had to be closed due to excessive damages.
That earthquake was only the beginning. To give a further idea of how big it was: People in Sao Paolo, Brazil—some 1,800 miles (2,900 km) to the east—felt the earthquake. And then, reports came of a great tsunami. All across news websites and TV stations, there has been (and still is) non-stop coverage on the quake and tsunami. Anticipated to hit Hawaii around 4 pm (EST), the first surge actually hit shortly after 5 pm. Residents were told to evacuate the islands as the governor declared a “state of emergency” situation. This is the first time in 16 years that Hawaiians have heard the sounds of those warning sirens.
Hawaii was only the first stopping point for the quake-triggered tsunami. Fortunately for Hawaii, it was also a very short stop and the tsunami warning was cancelled. However, those damaging waves made their way across the Pacific and also hit New Zealand and Asia. While no damage has yet been reported from New Zealand, residents were evacuated from the eastern coast. Those who have been keeping track of the surges also claim they are getting progressively bigger—currently they are at 2 m (6.5 feet). Asia, however, has been hit by the biggest waves thus far. French Polynesia and the Marquesas Islands were both hit by walls of water that were 13 feet (4 m) high. There have been some minor damages, but no casualties to speak of.
Then, there is the matter of flooding in Haiti. As if the devastating earthquake that happened last month wasn’t enough, 11 people have died so far from heavy flooding. More than 60 inches (1.5 m) of water were washed into Les Cayes—Haiti’s third most populated city. Hospitals, prisons, and homes were flooded. A number of those homes also collapsed. The casualties happened as people were trying to make their way to safer ground; 5 of which happened when the flood waters overturned their vehicles.
Add on to all of this the crazy winter weather we’ve been hit by this season and it can easily be said that someone has sure made Mother Nature angry. Oh, and we can’t forget the flooding that happened in Portugal, or the landslides in Indonesia and California. Has the weather gotten crazy enough yet for you skeptics to believe that something is seriously wrong with the planet; or does there have to be thousands of casualties added on to the increasing death tolls? If the weather keeps progressing like it has been in the past few months, I hope some people will start taking it as a serious wake-up call, because things will only get worse from here on out.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: Asia, Chile, climate change, crazy weather, earthquake, flooding, global warming, Haiti, Hawaii, natural disasters, New Zealand, tsunami, weather
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I totally agree, this is no coincidence….. do we have the power to stop a natural climate change? If us super human’s of today were around in the Ice Age, could we have stopped it? I dont think so. I think this climate change is natural and unstoppable, maybe we could buy some time by a global lowering of gas emissions, but only a few years…. climate change is here and will continue regardless in the end. Are we the future dinosaurs? I think perhaps we are. A future for our children I just cant imagine as I have two amazing boys…. What can we do? NOT nothing, we have to at least try for their sakes…….