Hurricane Wilma Layan AlThani 9A

An Introduction to the hurricane

Hurricane Wilma first hit land on the 15th of October 2005. It mostly effected the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S state of Florida. It started as a category 5 hurricane while it moved through Mexico and slowed down into a category 3 when it hit Florida. Among all of the hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Wilma is one of the top 5 costliest hurricanes and the fourth costliest in U.S history.

Where is Florida?

Florida is a peninsula city that lies by the South Eastern part of the United states. It is a fact that Florida is the most state that goes through hurricanes every year and has the most damage after. This damage has lost a marvelous amount of the cities money in order to recover.

Where is the Yucatan Peninsula?

The Yucatan Peninsula lies by the South Eastern side of Mexico. It is what separates the Caribbean sea from the Gulf of Mexico. The Yucatan Peninsula is known for their beautiful resorts and amazing tourists sights, showing that it is not a place that can handle hurricanes and recover from them easily.

The categories of the storm

This shows how as the hurricane moved into land its category decreased. It started as a Category 5 hurricane in the water then moved into the Yucatan Peninsula and when down into a Category 4 hurricane which is still dangerous. As it turns and slides North East into the state of Florida it is formed into a Category 3. By the end as it moves back to the ocean the hurricane becomes a Category 3 hurricane.

Economical Impact

This table shows how much overall damage the hurricane had on the countries it went through. The less developed countries had to pay a less amount than the developed countries since their buildings and building structures are much cheaper. The developed countries have more complex and expensive structures which is why the cost in the damage of the hurricane increased. The hurricane has had major impact on all of the country’s economy by losing 29 billion dollars. But after recovery, people will obviously have damaged some of their things such as cars garages, small buildings etc. So, it would be a good thing for the economy since more customers would come needing for certain things that can keep the economy moving. Another benefit would go to the pharmaceutical companies since the people that go through the hurricane go through injuries and sometimes death.

Region Damage($)

The Bahamas $100 million

Cuba $700 million

Haiti $500,000

Jamaica $93.5 million

Mexico $7.5 billion

United States $20.6 billion

Total $29 billion

Social Impact

Out of all of the countries, the hurricane is responsible for 63 reported deaths. During this hurricane people have lost family members and friends which could have a social effect on their lives seeing that someone has died. Also, hurricane Wilma has destroyed many houses which were homes to many families. “As of 2009, there are still people waiting for insurance settlements and repairs on their homes in Dade and Broward County.” This shows how much the people in the United states and other countries have lost and how it is a long term impact on them.

Environmental Impact

The environmental effects on Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica was their loss in farm land. The winds pulled off their vegetation and trees which was a huge loss for farmers and landlords which depended on their crops. Also, the Yucatan peninsula is a great place for tourism and sight seeing, also for their beautiful resorts which were damaged after the hurricane. Work buildings in Florida mostly were effected too which prevented the people from going to work which meant they had to recover faster. Also “F3lorida's sugar industry was hard hit; the cropping season had already started and had to be halted indefinitely. Damage to sugarcane crops was critical and widespread.“ The hurricane came and destroyed whatever it passed through which was a huge loss.

Solutions

A hurricane is a natural disaster and it cannot be stopped. However, you can always prevent it from harming the people. First, as soon as the media has covered and found a hurricane that is coming, they should either evacuate or be prepared for it. It depends on how strong the hurricane is. People can get prepared for it by arming their homes and staying home. Also they can keep their vehicles and other valuables in safe places so that they don’t get damaged. Also,, their should be organizations that are responsible for teaching the people around town on how to survive a hurricane and what to do when they face it. Also, they should have the pharmaceutical companies ready before the hurricane and after in order to save the injured and harmed

Bibliography

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/eyeonthestorm/files/2009/05/122407-biz-denied-1.jpg

http://climatelab.org/@api/deki/files/400/=Hurricane_Wilma_aftermath_2005_(1).jpghttp://icons

-pe.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/m/MikeTheiss/276.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Wilma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ-b395MByg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Florida_hurricanes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucatán_Peninsula

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Hurricane_Wilma_21_oct_2005_1625Z.jpg

http://www.smartsafetysolutions.com/home-safety/weather-safety/hurricane-safety/hurricane-wilma/

http://media.naplesnews.com/media/img/photos/2005/10/23/102405wilma6_t607.jpg