Hurricane Rafael Makes Landfall in Cuba
Report:Hurricane Rafael toMakes HitLandfall in Cuba as Hurricane, Florida Keys as Tropical Storm
The Facts
As of around 2 pm EST on Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael was a mere 70 miles south of Havana, Cuba, with The Weather Channel (TWC) predicting it to hit western Cuba later in the day.Category 3 Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba's western province of Artemisa on Wednesday.
This follows Rafael's path through other parts of the Caribbean on Tuesday, leaving flash floods and knocking out electricity in Jamaica, as well as causing power outages and school closures in the Cayman Islands.
The Spin
Despite meteorologists warning about intensifying storms for decades, anti-science misinformation continues to spread — from encouraging people to ride out a storm to conspiracies about the government controlling the weather. What people should focus on is this simple truth: Burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, which causes warmer oceans, heavier rain, more powerful winds, and record-breaking storms.
If people wish not to fear an imminent end to the world, it would behoove them to learn from a different perspective on this issue. This includes the fact that natural disaster deaths are a fraction of what they were a century ago, and property damage costs have fallen significantly over the last 30 years, all while more buildings are being built. Everyone would be better off if all the data was talked about rather than just the doom and gloom.
While it's important to debate the issue of climate change, such issues should not supersede the value of on-the-ground disaster preparedness. Such precautions in places like Florida include maintaining properly enforced homes, drawing up evacuation plans, storing emergency food supplies, and checking the status of insurance policies. Hurricanes are a seasonal occurrence and must be accounted for every year.