All About Hurricanes

By: Pralad, Amir, Brazyl, Khalia, Luis, Sneha, Cyrus, and Abby

According to research, scientists do not know why hurricanes form but they know what hurricanes need to form. For example, hurricanes need warm water and wind to form. Hurricanes normally start over warm ocean water. A tropical storm starts over warm ocean water. Its winds pick up speed. If they get strong enough, the storm can become a hurricane. Hurricanes need names to be tracked. This is how hurricanes form.

Do you know how hurricanes are measured? Hurricanes are measured using the Saffir-Simpson scale. They are given a score of 1 to 5. For example, a Category 1 hurricane is the weakest hurricane. It has winds of 119 to 153 kilometers per hour. Category 5 hurricanes are the strongest hurricanes with 252+ kilometer per hour winds. Scientists would look at the eye wall, the eye, and the rain bands to measure the strength of the hurricane. The eye wall is where the winds are strongest and the rains are heaviest.

There are many ways to be prepared for a hurricane. You can use many strategies to prepare before, during, and after a hurricane to survive. For example, you can make a family communication plan before a hurricane. You can also build an emergency kit. During a hurricane, stay away from windows and glass doors. They can break and hurt you. You can also listen to your parents or safety officers for important instruction. After a hurricane, don't go outside without a grown up. Make sure to tell your parents if you smell gas. These are just some ways that you can be safe before, during, and after a hurricane happens!

Have you ever heard of any important hurricanes? There are many major hurricanes for students to learn about. One important hurricane event is Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Hurricane Maria is important because it destroyed many schools and the power was out for eleven months. Another important hurricane event was Hurricane Matthew. It was a huge hurricane in 2016. Matthew was a Category 5 hurricane and it cost $15 billion to fix the damage. It hit Haiti the hardest. Hurricane Sandy hit sixteen states such as New Jersey, Virginia, New York, and North Carolina. New York and New Jersey were hit hardest of all. More than one hundred people were killed. These hurricanes are examples of how hurricanes are dangerous.

The effects of hurricanes are very important. One effect of a hurricane is hurricanes destroy animals habitats. For example, Hurricane Irma destroyed green turtle habitats in Florida. Hurricanes destroy schools and homes. Floods destroy power. An example of this is in Puerto Rico, schools do not always have water or power. The lights are still off at hundreds of schools and students gather near windows so they can read. Another example of the effects of a hurricane is hurricanes destroy houses, roads, and can kill people. Hurricane Sandy brought huge winds of 80 miles per hour. She also dropped huge amounts of rain and snow. These effects show the damage hurricanes cause when they hit land.