Uptick in Hurricanes, TornadoesThreatening Lives As Building Windows Shatter
When Hurricane Laura struck the Louisiana-Texas coastline in late August, the property damage was devastating. In particular, the town of Lake Charles was hit hard. The symbol for the hurricane’s power and destruction was the town’s 22-story Capitol One building. The building had suffered serious damage during Hurricane Rita in 2005. And, now, 15 years later it was severely damaged again, with about half the building’s windows blown out. Fortunately, the building was empty and there were no injuries from the flying glass. Lake Charles’ Mayor Nic Hunter told a local TV station that the building “looks like Swiss cheese.” Unfortunately, Hurricane Laura appears not to be a fluke storm that happens once a decade or so, as was the case previously. Already in 2020 there have been 23 named storms, the seconds most on record. Moving forward, weather forecasters and scientists are predicting more volatile hurricanes, tornadoes and other foul weather events in the coming years related to