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Judith L Hubbard's avatar

As a resident of a southeastern state, SC, hurricanes πŸŒ€ approach and make landfall from two fronts, the Atlantic Coastal Area impacting the already flooding historic Charleston and areas along that corridor. I witnessed the devastation from Hurricane Hugo four years after landfall while living in Charleston in the nineties. There remained moldy residue in air ducts in pre-existing structures, debris on the grounds of apartments and other dwellings. The chilling experience of the notices to prepare for another hurricane were so disruptive to life there, I chose to move inland to a small town just 21 miles from the GA border. My escape was ill advised as now I am preparing for the πŸŒ€

hurricanes that come my way via the Gulf, another predictable pattern. From the shores of AL, and along the southern border, the question becomes how intense will the storms be on arrival this far north. Observations suggest they are not predictable. I can awaken to a calm sunny morning the days after watching the storms head to β€œmy space” or listen to the remnants of storms having made landfall South of me roar through sleepless nights, trees falling, power lines down, outages of both power and internet, unable to shelter anywhere but my familiar old house and it’s incredibly woodsy surroundings. With the expected increased severity flooding will undoubtedly be worse and could very well breach my home. Older homes are not built to withstand extreme weather and older people may not have resources to upgrade. I would have been wise as some here have done to resettle in the mountains of GA. Thank you for the truth as always. 😴

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Alexander Verbeek's avatar

I'm sorry to hear this. Let's hope all goes well.

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Judith L Hubbard's avatar

I appreciate your kind thoughts and wishes. We will ADAPT, a word adopted recently from a favorite film. Great idea and way of looking at coming events. Off topic, we will ditch Trump somehow and I will continue to focus on that absolute necessity. Biden’s advanced climate agenda for his second term is very promising.

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Carol Lynn Beukes's avatar

Yes, sad realities. The Planet and the People living on this earth. How to fix the mentalities of our species. How and Why We are not doing better...I wish every time I read about the state of our world, I had a wand... like the one *Harry Potter* had. Where I could just fix all the pieces and build a new puzzle. Most probably that would still not be a solution. So yes I pray. I will do this for all issues I find broken.

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Alexander Verbeek's avatar

With such a wand, I would restore all the species we lost and reduce greenhouse gasses to the level they were 200 years ago.

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rena's avatar

I worry a great deal about storms and their impact on the world's human residents but the animals... So many animals are sensitive to the effects of climate change. Polar bears losing ice floes. Pollinators losing flowers unable to grow in their usual regions. Howler monkeys falling dead from brutal heat. Thousands of dead fish suffocating from lack of oxygen in the water washing up on shores. This is happening today. Not twenty years from now. And I am helpless.

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Alexander Verbeek's avatar

Each of the new items you mention passes by practically unnoticed. Imagine one of these things happening 20 years ago: it would be the opening item in the news.

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Judith L Hubbard's avatar

I agree. Humans have the ability to at least attempt mitigation, all the other sentient beings you mention are suffering and dying having done nothing to bring about drastic changes on the planet 🌍; they must adapt but how can they escape if at all? We must remain vigilant in accountability and rescue as possible on their behalf. I am heartbroken for them. πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”

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Mischa Geracoulis's avatar

Excellent explainer, as per usual. I daresay that Substack readers fully appreciate every word. The politicians and fossil fuel bandits are really the ones who should care about 2024 hurricanesβ€”I don't know how many disasters it takes to break through the hubris and greed. :/

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Aida Brunell's avatar

I hurry up writing a comment before you have too many to read πŸ˜‰. I loved watching Cousteau’s tv shows. His red cap and comments marked many viewers. Alas, he didn’t foresee as you do the environmental destruction and it’s massive increase, damages and consequences hard to imagine at the time of his death in 1997 !

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May 25, 2024
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Alexander Verbeek's avatar

Thank you, Lizzie. I wish I had happier news to share. It's time to write about the beauty of nature again.

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