Hurricane Florence: “A real life example of why we study extreme weather”

As reported by BBC News this morning, Hurricane Florence has now been downgraded to a category two storm, but officials still warn that this could cause widespread disaster.

Whilst the wind speeds have significantly dropped, the slow-moving nature of the storm could still bring torrential rainfall and cause catastrophic flooding to the states of North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC and Georgia.

Catherine Rule, our Geographer and former geography teacher, commented, “Whilst nothing can be done stop the hurricane from making landfall, experts can understand what causes such a phenomenon. Being able to track its course and predict the hazardous impacts gives people time to prepare and evacuate and is vital in saving lives.”

Up to 1.7 million people have been ordered to evacuate across South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. In addition, some 5.25 million people are under hurricane warning or watch and another 4.9 million people are under storm warning or watch.

She went on to say, “The terrifyingly beautiful images of Hurricane Florence are yet another reminder of the power and intensity of nature. This is certainly a real life example of why we study extreme weather events.”

Let us know…

Have you used Hurricane Florence as a topic of conversation or an example with your students? How do you use real life examples as part of your teaching?