It seems like every natural disaster has a trademark area of the United States associated with it. California is home to wildfires and earthquakes, while the Midwest is known as the land of tornadoes. When it comes to hurricanes, Florida first crosses the mind, but it’s not the only state affected. In the United States, any area remotely close to the Atlantic is prone to hurricanes, and Texas is no exception.  

So far, during the 2019 hurricane season (which runs from June 1 to November 30), Texas has been hit by two tropical storms. These two storms, named Fernand and Imelda, have brought immense destruction to the Texas coast as well as cities further inland. Imelda was a particularly destructive storm in Texas. The massive amounts of rainfall led to catastrophic flooding across the southeast of the state. In some areas, it dumped up to 40 inches of rain of unprepared towns and cities. This flooding was felt especially in our community, leading the cancellation of a day of school. Houston was one of the areas most affected by the storm, and of the estimated 2 billion dollars of damage caused by Imelda, over half of these costs were for repairs in Houston. 

Imelda is by no means the first major storm to hit the Houston area. Most people from the region will remember the disastrous effects of Hurricane Harvey a little over two years ago. Arguably one of the worst storms to ever hit Texas, Harvey is tied with hurricane Katrina for the costliest hurricane to ever hit the United States. Many in our community were affected, and some families are still recovering several years later. Losing one’s home to a tropical storm is an event felt for years to come, which is why natural disasters can turn someone’s life upside down. 

Hurricanes are something we can expect to deal with for many years to come. They are more relevant than ever, as many studies point to an increase in natural disasters as a result of global warming. For now, it seems as if hurricanes are something Texans are going to have to learn to live with.