Ryan Marin
Bureau Chief
Living in Florida, we all know the power and ability to destroy that hurricanes possess. We all can remember hurricanes such as Wilma, Irma, and Andrew and how dangerous they were. Thus, it is why Floridians were so relieved when Hurricane Laura, a category 4 hurricane, swerved to the left and avoided Florida.
With Florida hit so hard by Covid-19, adding a hurricane to a pandemic would have been devastating. Lines for food and water, going to various shopping and grocery stores, or even visiting family members to make sure they are safe could have had disastrous impacts on people and their families.
Sadly, not all places were able to avoid that fate. Multiple countries such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti were hit by Laura, but Louisiana and Texas in the United States were hit hardest. The storm hit the Louisiana and Texas coastline as a category 4 on Aug. 27. The hurricane hit and quickly slowed down and eventually was absorbed into another storm and dissipated, and the weather in states affected has become very normal, but it caused significant damage while it was so strong. Some of the statistics that have been reported about the hurricane and the destruction it has caused are astounding.
There have been 25 Laura-related deaths in Louisiana according to ABC News and somewhere between $4-12 billion in damage according to NPR. There are 12,000 evacuees and over hundreds of thousands without electricity or clean running water according to Weather.com.
With such significant damage amid a global pandemic, it is only normal to wonder how you can contribute and donate to people affected by this storm. You can keep people in your thoughts and prayers. While COVID-19 has drained many people financially, if you are able to make a donation it can make a significant impact. You can donate to organizations such as the Red Cross to help people affected, UNICEF USA to help child victims specifically, or look up various GoFundMe posts that are asking for help directly.
While Florida was grateful to avoid another disastrous hurricane, other places were not so lucky. Let us hope 2020 ends on a high note.
