By Alejandra Garcia and Bill Hackwell on June 20, 2024
The future is already here: the worst droughts in 50 years in the southern Amazon and record hurricanes and floods in Central America and the Caribbean are the new reality of Latin America. This portion of the planet is one of the regions of the world most affected by climate change and external meteorological phenomena that are causing serious damage to health, life, food, water, energy, socioeconomic development in the region and most important the probability of the future of life on planet earth.
In Cuba, May was drier than usual. In the fifth month of the year, people look forward to the rains that, according to myths, have curative powers, fertilize the land, and benefit crops. But it hardly rained at all. However, June has been characterized by fierce storms in the afternoons, which have flooded communities and left significant economic losses.
During the last few weeks, the Cuban capital has suffered the effects of these weather events, which caused severe flooding and building collapses in several municipalities, including Old Havana, Centro Habana and Diez de Octubre. The rapid response of the civil defense forces has ensured no loss of human lives were reported. However, other countries have not had worse outcomes in this battle for human survival in the face of relentless climate change.
The Caribbean islands are not the only ones affected in this hemisphere. Other developing countries in the region, mainly those bordering the Caribbean Sea, are suffering the effects of climate fury, which is becoming more pronounced every year and the intensity is showing up earlier. This week it was reported that a storm in El Salvador caused 12 deaths, and five rivers overflowed, hundreds of houses damaged, landslides and blocked roads.
The 12th victim was reported this Tuesday, after being swept away by a current in Metalio, Sonsonate. Eight out of the 11 deceased are adults and three are minors. Among the latter is a 17 year-old adolescent who died when a rockslide fell on him while he was working collecting sand, in the vicinity of Changallo, in San Salvador.
The other two minors who died are a 7-year-old girl and an 18-month-old baby, who died in Tacuba (Ahuachapán) together with their 23-year-old uncle when a wall fell over their house. Meanwhile, 2,196 people and 840 families are sheltered in 74 emergency centers distributed throughout the Central American country.
In Honduras, the news was also bad. An elderly man was the first person to die in the country as a result of the torrential rains. Between Nacaome and Francisco Morazán, a total of 211 people are sheltered. “We must be alert, the situation may worsen”, warned Juan José Reyes, head of early warning of Copeco. As of this afternoon, four departments are on storm alert: Copán, Santa Bárbara, Comayagua and El Paraíso.
And let us not forget the tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where catastrophic floods have caused at least 149 deaths since mid-May. The extreme rains and flooding have isolated and forced the evacuation of entire cities, and will have an impact on at least three fronts of the Brazilian economy: GDP growth and the agricultural sector where different crops have been completely wiped in those areas.
Alarming Frequency and Strength of Tropical Storms
As this article is being written Alberto, the first tropical storm of the season in the region is hitting the Northeast corner of Mexico and heading towards Texas with heavy rains and winds pushing 75 mph which is when a storm is classified a hurricane. Every year there are more storms and they are stronger due to the ongoing increase in the ocean heat coupled with the La Nina affect.
The US National Ocean Atmospheric Admininstration (NOAA) is predicting that there will be 17 storms that will qualify to be named and 8 to 13 of them are likely to turn into a hurricane.
Most concerning is how people and governments prepare and if they respond with comprehensive orientation and evacuation plans to safe centers as the storms approach, including where they should go and by what means is there for those living in the affected area to get there.
In Cuba the entire population is kept up to date with detailed instructions of what to do as tropical storms approach. In 2022 hurricane Ian, the fourth strongest hurricane on record in the Caribbean, passed through the Western part of Cuba leaving 5 dead. It could have been much worse but most people with their belongings and in many cases their animals were taken in an organized fashion to safe shelters before the storm arrived. Soon after that when Ian hit the Gulf Coast of Florida the scene was different. Governor Ron DeSantis did not give an evacuation order until less than 24 hours before Ian arrived resulting in the death of 161 people. Santis’s instructions were basically you better leave because this is going to be a big one. No plan, you’re on your own, resulting in a disorganized exit north clogging highways and no real place designated to go.
The effect of climate change is no longer empty numbers, mentioned in an international conference, in which agreements are mostly shelved. Climate change is real, and the world is witnessing it in real time and it is not going to get better without fundamental change.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English