![]() In the past month, three devastating earthquakes hit the southern part of Mexico and killed an estimate of 320 people. The earthquakes have changed many lives and families and destroyed many buildings. Back in 1985 there was a deadly earthquake that killed approximately 9,500 citizens. It destroyed buildings the size of the old A Loft tower in Downtown Asheville. Mexico has a bad history with deadly earthquakes. 8.1 Earthquakes strike Chiapas Mexico! On September 9th 2017 at approximately 11:59 PM the first earthquake was to hit Southern Mexico offshore Chiapas, Mexico. This earthquake was Monstrous and could be felt 600 miles away from the epicenter! It was so strong it caused a mini Tsunami with waves up to 10 feet! The coastal town of Puerto Madero had to evacuate Because of the Tsunami. During this horrific incident, 400 houses were destroyed and 1,400 were damaged. Another devastating Earthquake strikes Mexico in Puebla, with magnitude being 7.1! Almost one week later, on September 19, at 2:14PM another quake struck 75 miles away, southeast of Mexico City. This earthquake may have not been as strong but it did kill 230 people, including 20 school kids. Everyone in the hispanic community is helping out including Teacher, Parents, Firefighters, Carpenters etc… Every once and awhile people would yell for silence to hear the children or people scream or talk for help. People were still combing the debris and rocks for any survivors long after the quake. 3rd Earthquake with 6.1 Magnitude in Oaxaca Then, one week after the second earthquake, a 3rd one hits with magnitude being 6.1 and 10 km in depth. 10 is small compared to the 2 other earthquakes, but it is closer to buildings and citizens of Mexico. Scientists say this was a aftershock of the earlier 2 earthquakes but don't know which one it was from. This earthquake has delayed rescues in Puebla for rescuing survivors. Story by Juan Grijalba-Vasquez ![]() Why? Why are there so many hurricanes this season? Im Taylor, a 6th grade student in journalism, I’m here today wondering why there has been hurricane after hurricane, and more coming. I decided to do some research. According to CBS news Washington, Hurricane Irma, the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, took deadly aim at the Caribbean, with Hurricane Jose to the east of it (although meteorologists say Jose is not likely to hit land). Also, Hurricane Katia formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday. These storms come on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, a powerful storm in the Gulf of Mexico that killed at least 63 people and caused catastrophic flooding and damage in southeast Texas and Louisiana. Many say that Hurricane Irma was a Category 6 Storm, but this isn't true! There is no such thing. While it may seem like there are a lot of storms right now, the peak of peak hurricane season is still to come. What is causing these large hurricanes? Julian Heming, the Met Office's tropical prediction scientist, told The Telegraph about the reasons Irma is such a large hurricane. Here is what he said. "Irma is a powerful hurricane because all the characteristics required to produce an intense hurricane in the Atlantic are coinciding:
I hoped you liked my story, thank you for reading and have a good day! Story by Kylie Taylor
On September 19, 2017 at 2:14 PM, 23 miles outside of Puebla, Mexico, an earthquake hit. This earthquake was completely unexpected, and the death toll is in the two hundreds and is still being totaled up. Ironically, this earthquake happened on the exact date as an earthquake in Mexico in 1985, September 19, however, the one a few days ago was not nearly as drastic. In 1985, the earthquake killed at least 5,000 people, and over 100,000 buildings were damaged.
The one in 1985 was at a magnitude of 8.0, and the 2017 was at a little bit less of a magnitude, at 7.1. Also, in 1985, Mexico probably wasn’t as prepared as they are these days for these types of natural disasters. That’s probably why the 1985 earthquake was a lot more drastic. The earthquake last week hit at 2:14 PM, and so many people were either at work at school. For this reason, a lot of the people were crushed by offices and other large buildings, which may be why the death toll was so high. Also, this particular part of Mexico is prone to earthquakes and seismic activity. Yesterday, in the middle of the night, there was another one, a sort of post earthquake earthquake. Henry Roderĺguez, the head of mission for Doctors Without Borders in Mexico, says ¨We are a part of a group that has to react to , whose responsibility it is to help others, and we feel the traumas too. When you are there for an emergency, involved in the incident, you become a part of it too.¨ I think most people are just about tired of these earthquakes hitting over and over again. ![]() Kiribati is one country that has a good chance of disappearing due to climate change and major floods. This is an archipelago which consists of 32 atolls and one island. On average, this island is 3 meters above sea level which is not a lot. The president of Kiribati has already bought land on the largest island in Fiji. Due to a mixture of climate change and cyclones, the Kiribati archipelago is going to face extreme challenges. ![]() A second island nation whose future is well, no future, is the tiny island nation of Tuvalu. Tuvalu is the fourth smallest nation in the world and only with a population of around 11,000 its highest point is only 15 feet above sea level. And with climate change making sea levels rise the future of Tuvalu is not bright. Cyclones and tropical storms have been getting much much worse since the late 1980’s. Also about 10 feet of beachfront have disappeared in the past decade. Tuvalu is a tiny island with much culture that has a good chance of sinking into the ocean. ![]() The Solomon Islands are not looking much better because already 5 of the more western islands have sunk into the ocean, one of which was inhabited with 20 families. More so, 6 other islands have already lost 20% of their land area. The Solomon islands are some islands with beautiful landscapes which some of which have already sunk into the ocean. ![]() The Maldives are a beautiful island paradise which at most lays 1/2 a meter above the water also The Maldives are the only country on this list not in the continent of Oceania. They are south of India. There are actually roads that are only a few inches above sea level, and a hospital in the nation regularly floods. There has been beach erosion as a result of human civilization for the past 3 decades. These are all countries with beautiful landscapes that soon will disappear. There are hundreds of thousands of people living in these countries. If you ever get the chance to go to any of these countries take it, because these paradises are fantastic and will soon become only a distant memory. Story by William Euler Works Cited: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/photos/6-island-nations-threatened-by-climate-change/rising-anxiety#top-desktop http://www.businessinsider.com/these-island-nations-could-be-underwater-in-as-little-as-fifty-years-2015-12 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/will-tuvalu-disappear-beneath-the-sea-180940704/ http://abcnews.go.com/International/solomon-islands-disappear-pacific-ocean-result-climate-change/story?id=38985469 https://maldivesfinest.com/maldives-sinking |