The Bark & Bite

It seems like there is no end to the recent spate of environmental disasters affecting the world over the last few months. Hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and floods have wreaked havoc and left many in need of shelter, healthcare, and basic necessities. Efforts to rescue, aid, and rebuild have begun as people across the globe are hoping for an end to these catastrophes.

Hurricane Harvey was one of the most unconventional and destructive storms in recent memory. Only a few weeks later, Hurricane Irma tore through the Caribbean and made landfall in the US in the Florida Keys as it moved further inland. Irma is responsible for 102 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

Things didn’t stop there as another hurricane, Maria, first made landfall in the Caribbean island of Dominica and affected several other islands in that region, particularly Puerto Rico. Maria caused a complete communication blackout in Dominica and effectively destroyed the power grid of Cuba.  A dam in Puerto Rico could fail at any minute, leaving thousands at risk. With aid and resources pouring into Florida and Texas, areas affected by Maria are in desperate need of help.

The most intense earthquake of 2017 occurred near the state of Chiapas in Mexico, killing ninety-eight, and another earthquake followed near Mexico City less than two weeks later, killing over three hundred. Thousands of others have been injured. Dozens have been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings. Another earthquake only a few days later was less severe.

There have been almost 50,000 fires that have destroyed over eight million acres in the western United States in 2017. Around two billion dollars have been spent fighting these fires, making 2017 the most expensive wildfire fighting year in American history. In the East, over forty million people have been affected by and thousands have died from flooding in South Asia, especially Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

The United Nations declared earlier this year that the world is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II because of famine and food shortages in Africa. South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Somalia are among the countries being affected the most. Conflict, drought, and inflation are the main causes of the famine. Millions are under threat of malnutrition and starvation.

Now, the entire island of Bali in Indonesia has been evacuated as they are preparing for a volcanic eruption. Hopefully, these disasters will slow their pace as the world tries to recover from the physical and emotional destruction they have caused.