The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is about to end. This season has been one of the most active hurricane seasons in history. There were two Category 5 hurricanes this year: Irma and Maria. Category 4 Hurricane Harvey was the first to make landfall in the U.S. this year, devastating the Houston, Texas area.
Hurricane Irma is the strongest hurricane observed in the Atlantic since 2005. Irma devastated the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Hurricane Maria, another Category 5 hurricane, followed Irma. It was the second Category 5 hurricane to make landfall during the 2017 hurricane season and the worst storm to wallop Puerto Rico since 1928.
The 2017 hurricane season officially began on June 1 and is expected to end on November 30. However, Tropical Storm Arlene formed in April as proof that some tropical cyclones know no seasonal bounds. Tropical Storm Bret struck Trinidad in mid-June, an unusual occurrence because the area is rarely impacted by typhoons due to its low altitude.
Tropical Storm Cindy struck a few weeks after Bret, impacting the state of Louisiana. Then Hurricane Harvey came in late August, resulting in massive flooding that submerged thousands of homes in the Houston area and displaced more than 30,000 people. Harvey left behind 83 casualties and economic losses that are estimated to reach up to $200 billion.
Hurricane Irma left catastrophic damages in Barbuda, Saint Barthêlemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Irma left 102 fatalities, including 58 in the U.S. Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico at Category 4 strength, knocking out power in the entire region. Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico devastated, with several towns obliterated and at least 10 people dead.
While mortals can’t change the path of a hurricane, we can be prepared with the proper emergency supplies, including a diesel generator to help us carry on—no matter what nature brings.
