The last devastating Hurricane to hit Florida happened in 1992, in the form of Hurricane Andrew. Ever since, Floridans have become more and more desensitized to the true dangers of Hurricanes.
Junior, Nafiah Choudhury, said, “My dad has not even bought shudders since we moved into our new house. The last hurricane was just a heavy rain for us so we don’t feel the need to get over prepared.”
Hurricanes remain a danger to people across the world.
Recently, a deadly category 5 Typhoon struck Tokyo, Japan. Typhoon Hagibis has killed over 58 Japanese residents, according to the Japanese public broadcaster, NHK.
The storm made history as the second largest typhoon in recorded history and had the highest rainfall to ever hit Japan in the form of a typhoon.
According to Simon Denver of the Washington Post, “by Sunday, more than 20 rivers in central and northeastern Japan had burst their banks, flooding more than 1,000 homes in cities, towns and villages.”
Also, some 56,800 houses in Tokyo and the area surrounding the city still lack power, said Al Jazeera in the article “Japan Typhoon Hagibis Death Toll, Latest Updates: More than 100,000 Rescuers Continue Search After Deadly Storm.”
The main city of Tokyo avoided catastrophic damage due to their complex flooding prevention system created after the disastrous 1959 Typhoon Vera which killed over 1200.
In contrast, the Miami Herald discusses the dangers of the aging Florida flooding system which was built over 50 years ago, long before climate change and rising sea levels truly began to take effect.
Flood insurance is also not required in Florida unless they live in an area considered a “high risk zone”.
Senior, Shaina Francis, said, “My family doesn’t have flood insurance. There are so many other storm precautions that we don’t spend the money on flood insurance. Without these windows and if we lived in an older house, we most likely would have flood insurance though.”
The Japanese government has already sent out tens of thousands of members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Coast Guard, as well as personnel of local police and fire departments to aid in the search and rescue efforts.
Luckily, no deadly Hurricanes have struck Florida this Hurricane season; however, Florida citizens must remain prepared for the years to come.
