We are all used to the Caribbean Islands being where they are because we have not seen them in any other form. All the islands from Cuba to the Windward and Leeward Islands are all part of the Caribbean Island chain. As beautiful and wonderful of a vacation spot these islands are they are more significant than what really imagine. Far more than agriculture, cigars, aquaculture, etc. What if the Caribbean Islands went from this:
To something like this?
Doesn't look right does it? It doesn't look like it would change things much really except no more Caribbean cruises and all that goes with it. Think a little harder.
Think about Hurricane Isaac that made landfall in Plaquemines Parish, LA. It was a category 1 hurricane when it made landfall over Louisiana and a tropical storm when it passed Key West, FL. Here is the entire track of Isaac.
It traveled beside Espanola and Cuba which have mountain ranges over 5,000 ft. high. What if they weren't there? Isaac would have most likely strengthened into a major hurricane and curved where the Bahamas are and went back out to sea possibly grazing The Outer Banks of North Carolina. But this is only one example. Without the islands being there in the Caribbean, tropical storms in the Atlantic would reach major hurricanes (categories 3-5) more frequently than they do now and would cause more devastation to the U.S. than they have as we know it to this day because there are not landmasses to weaken them.
So next time you see another tropical storm or take a vacation in the Caribbeans, remember how wonderful these islands are. They are actually saving lives and money every year by weakening tropical systems and preventing them from reaching their full potential.
No comments:
Post a Comment