Tropical Storm Gustav Interrupts Caribbean Vacation
Many vacationers on the usually sunny island of Jamaica had to make other plans for their caribbean vacation as the tropical storm Gustav touched down. It is not a pleasant thing to find yourself caught in such fierce winds that a storm can produce.
To make things worse, the storm may reach hurricane status before it reaches the U.S. Many coastal towns in the states have put out evacuation bulletins warning of impending danger. Gustav will likely hit New Orleans before it calms it fury.
This is almost September and as the rhyme goes: “September, remember” is vivid in the minds of many in the Caribbean. This time Hispaniola, a densely populated island in the Antilles, somewhere between Cuba and Puerto Rico recorded at least 67 deaths because of this fiery tropical storm.
Hispaniola is home to both the Dominican Republic and Haiti and meteorological experts consider it inside the hurricane belt. This means that any and most hurricanes or tropical storms passing through this region will usually strike this island.
The number of deaths worry me because I have been doing some research into climate change. It seems large but I do not recall hearing about more deaths on an island because of a hurricane or tropical storm.
But it does tell about the future of these islands as global warming takes hold. Hurricanes may be seasonal but you can expect flash flooding and tsunami type weather in this region if the major world governments do not address the changing face of the climate on our planet.
These small islands with their open coastlines will experience physical and social unrest that climatologists predict with global warming. Some may not survive the rising sea levels, disappearing under the sea.
It is important to know that many of these islands in the Caribbean do not have the monitors or budgets for detecting these changes in climate. They can only hope for the best and allow God’s grace to help them overcome their impending sufferings.