Hurricane Irene is a class 1 hurricane effecting the Unites States east coast from August 25th to August 28th of 2011. Many cities and entire counties have been evacuated due to potential threats such as flooding. Airlines have been shut down, public transport, bridges, and many other services are all closed. In addition to flooding and high winds, many tornado warnings have been issued, which are serious threats. There have also been a series of landfalls and massive erosion concerns.
It is very important to know how to prepare for such events beforehand, and also know what to do during such a storm. Here are 2 articles that can provide useful information for preparing for tropical storms such as Hurricane Irene.
What Started Hurricane Irene? And What Does It Mean?
There has been speculation that Hurricane Irene is a product of global climate change, however it is not uncommon for this region to experience occasional hurricanes of this magnitude. In fact it would be alarming if we did not experience such events once in a while.
Coincidentally, hurricane Irene occured only days after a rare high magnitude earthquake that effected much of the east coast as well. Although this earthquake caused very little damage, it was quite an unusually strong quake for that region, prompting people to question the unusual series of natural disaster occurences.
Statistically, there is nothing unusual going on at all. Such 'unusual events' should be expected to happen from time to time, given a broad history of climate and weather patterns.
