If you haven’t yet begun preparations for the height of hurricane season this year, Beryl’s formation and rapid intensification recently should provide the proverbial kick in the pants to start getting ready — now.
Thankfully, as of press time, Beryl wasn’t expected to have a direct impact on South Louisiana. However, its speed, size and intensity are a stark reminder that hurricanes always pose serious threats to the Gulf Coast.
Beryl reached Category 5 strength within two days of becoming a named storm. That makes it one of the earliest major hurricanes ever to reach the Caribbean.
Beryl’s development bares eerie resemblances to Hurrican Ida — the last storm to hit South Louisiana — which also intensified much faster and stronger than expected. Today’s fast moving, rapidly intensifying storms make traditional preparations not just more difficult, but practically obsolete.
State and local governments now have less time than ever to declare and organize evacuations, distribute sandbags and stage recovery and relief resources before storms turn toward us. That means it’s up to us, individually and collectively, to stay ready to deal with life-threatening hurricanes, including readiness to evacuate on short notice.
Ida left the region without power for weeks, and at least 10 people in Louisiana died from heat exposure during the prolonged outage.
Unfortunately, fast-moving storms will inevitably cause more people, particularly seniors and those without transportation, to remain in their homes during and after a major storm. With the city’s infrastructure still hobbled, long-term power outages and widespread flooding remain very real possibilities. Given the triple-digit “feels like” temperatures that are quickly becoming normal in South Louisiana, that will likely mean more deaths in the wake of storms.
In addition to all that, experts predict this hurricane season will be one of the worst on record for the Gulf. That’s why it’s crucial that every resident has a plan for evacuating and, if necessary, hunkering down.
The checklist hasn’t changed much: Have a detailed evacuation plan; keep important documents, photo albums and other items packed and ready to go, or store them in a way that will protect them from the elements; have enough water, nonperishable food, prescription drugs and first-aid supplies to last several days; have several rechargeable or battery-operated items such as flashlights, personal fans and small radios, along with extra batteries; and keep vehicles gassed up and be ready to evacuate on short notice.
More broadly, as Election Day approaches, we urge everyone to begin making climate change a priority issue when deciding who to support for public office. Louisiana’s collapsed home insurance system shows in stark terms the direct effects of the climate crisis. Those effects aren’t just physical; they also are increasingly economic. There is no good faith argument to be made that the climate crisis isn’t happening.
Our region is no stranger to disasters. Louisianans are famously resilient in the aftermath of devastation, but it’s far better to be famously prepared for — and smart about — dealing with existential threats in advance.
All these changes are common sense and appropriate, but it's unfortunate that they became necessary.