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Hurricane Dorian Devastated the Bahamas and Parts of the Carolinas

Featured Image: The Atlantic

Charleston geared up for Hurricane Dorian this week, luckily much of the Holy City was left largely unharmed despite the hundreds of thousands of power outages. Sadly, the northern Bahamas were not as lucky and suffered the largest impact from the hurricane as the storm was at a category 5 level when it struck the islands. The official death toll is 43 and continues to rise as rescue workers reach more areas. The United Nations believe almost 70,000 are left homeless on Abaca and Grand Bahamas, the areas which took the grunt of the impact, due to the damage. Follow CNN’s live updates here.

Northeast South Carolina and North Carolina were impacted as well as flooding and tornadoes have hit the region. Outer Banks residents’ homes flooded, leaving hundreds trapped by high water. Ocracoke Island, in the Outer Banks, suffered catastrophic flooding, described by residents as levels they had never seen. The island is only accessible by boat and air, but Governor Roy Cooper said medical and search and rescue teams were on the way. Here are just a few of the ways you can donate and help the Bahamas as well as the impacted communities in the Carolinas:

Find more organizations working to aid in the rescue work in the Bahamas and the United States, accepting donations here.

The Charleston region was impacted by the hurricane as well with trees, powerlines and even traffic lights downed across the Lowcountry. Take a look at some pictures of the impacts the storm left on Charleston:

 

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hurricanes

Charleston Needs To Get Ready For An “Above Average” Hurricane Season

Image Credit: Charlotte Observer
After Hurricane Matthew hit the Lowcountry and its surrounding areas in late October of 2016, many of us hope that we never have to go through anything like that again.

But according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), South Carolina and other parts of the U.S. are expected to have an “above normal” hurricane season. Predictions say that there is a possibility of having anywhere between 11 and 17 tropical storms, with 5 to 9 of those storms becoming hurricanes, and 2 to 4 becoming major hurricanes.

hurricane matthew

Image Credit: REUTERS via BBC News

“There’s a potential for a lot of hurricane activity this year,” said Ben Friedman, the acting NOAA administrator.

Because of the mix of environmental factors that could weaken or strengthen the climate’s potential of storms, it’s uncertain truly how high the forecast really is. But, NOAA did state that there is a 20 percent chance of a quieter season, a 35 percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 45 percent chance of an “above normal” season.

The forecast “really underscores the importance of preparedness,” Friedman said.

hurricane matthew

Image Credit: REUTERS via BBC News

It has been a record-breaking 12 years since there has been a catastrophic hurricane that has made landfall in the U.S. but with strong tropical storms and well-built smaller hurricanes like Matthew, these storms can be just as dangerous and deadly as major hurricanes.

The “official” start date for the 2017 Hurricane season was June 1st, and is planned to last through November. There has already been strong activity that has been detected in the Atlantic Ocean with Tropical Storm Arlene. Because this type of activity is becoming so strong so early into the year, it is obvious that we must do everything we can to prepare ourselves for Hurricane Matthew round two, or even something more drastic.