KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. — As Hurricane Katrina struck the base, rising waters swallowed cars parked along streets. The base and the 6,000 sheltered military students, permanent party, civilians and their families survived the Category 4 hurricane with no casualties. The initial damage was catastrophic to base infrastructure. The base is currently in the assessment and recovery stage. (U.S. Air Force photo)
You’d think it would be a good thing for hurricanes and typhoons to slow down a little, or even a lot. It’s not. In fact, it makes things much worse. When hurricanes slow, they drop more rain. More rain means more flooding. Strong winds last longer, doing more harm to structures. From 1949 to 2016, tropical cyclones in some parts of the planet slowed by almost a third. Scientists believe that climate change will slow storms even further in the future.
