HURRICANES: Justifying the Mythical

The Greek God of the Sea, Poseidon.

First it was Hurricane Harvey, then it was Irma, after that comes Jose, and last but not least, Katia. What’s next? Why are there so many storms targeting the U.S. and other areas? How about a little background, if you don’t already know.
 
On September 2, 2017, Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm, struck southeast Texas leaving a destructive path behind it. Not long after that was Irma. Irma struck the Caribbean Islands and the coast of Florida. It also had an after effect in South Carolina, Georgia, and in our town of Asheville, NC. Though by the time it reached us it was only a strong storm. It killed about 45 people throughout its path of destruction.
 
So what do you think is the causes of all these hurricanes? These days, we know there is a science behind the cyclones. When warm moist air over the water rises, it is replaced by cooler air. The cooler air will then warm and start to rise. This cycle causes huge storm clouds to form, which can turn into a hurricane. However, back in ancient times, so many cultures had their own unique ways of justifying a hurricane. For instance, the Greeks.
 
Poseidon, the God of the Sea. A bad-tempered, moody, greedy, easily vengeful olympian Greek god. He wielded great power with a special Trident. This Trident could produce Earthquakes, or humongous waves, with a simple sweep of the implausible staff. But with him being ill-tempered by nature, this became a massive concern. Possessing so much great power, and having such a short fuse lead to many dangerous crisis. Poseidon has been know for making careless mistakes resulting in catastrophic destruction. So the Greeks believed there was a higher god (Poseidon) punishing them, or simply throwing a fit of rage.
 
Another culture has their own interesting way of rationalizing it. The Africans. Back in the 1619, African tribe members were wrongfully taken from their homes and families, and enslaved on a boat that would take them to a different countries about 6,000 miles away. They were forced to work for privileged rich white men under surveillance as maids or butlers, farmers, blacksmiths, or picking cotton. If they messed up in the slightest way, they were vulgarly punished. It is said the Mother Africa oversaw these wrong doings and, in turn, she created these powerful gust of wind, rain, thunder, and lighting to punish those cruel people who had hurt hers.
 
So, could it be Poseidon's anger. Or Mother Africa’s revenge? Maybe not, but really. Who knows?

By: Trinity Thomas, and Aiyana Childs

Citations: https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-harvey-forecast-texas-louisiana-arkansas
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-are-hurricanes-k4.html
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UH090lpQehs/maxresdefault.jpg
http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/poseidon/poseidon-pictures.php

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