how hurricanes kill is changing
See this NY Times article, The Way Hurricanes Kill Is Changing. Helene Shows How The basic message is freshwater flooding brought on by excessive rains are now killing more people than hurricane storm surges of the past.
One reason for the decrease in storm surge deaths is that public safety warning messages have improved along with the forecasting and some better graphics that provide people with a visual of where storms may hit. Still, as the article states, some people ignore the warnings and figure they can “ride this one out” with sometimes dire consequences.
We are experiencing historic flooding hundreds of miles from coastlines. That is what happened in North Carolina. When an event exceeds people’s personal experiences of the past, they can ignore warnings that are issued—again, with dire consequences. Hurricanes that turn into tropical storms can dump prodigious amounts of rainfall. Hurricane Harvey’s rains that stalled over Texas are a great example of that—6 feet of rain in some places.
Again, the past is not a good predictor of the future. Just ask any insurance company that is struggling to figure out the right property insurance rate for today vs. what it was in past years. Expect your cost of home insurance to go up, no matter where you live.
