By Allison G. S. Knox
Contributor, EDM Digest
Hurricane Florence made its appearance on the East Coast last week, bringing tremendous flooding to North and South Carolina. The flooding has been intense, even though the hurricane lost power once it made landfall.
As it moved up the East Coast, however, Florence continued to bring flooding and severe storms with it. On the afternoon of Monday, September 17, the storms produced tornadoes in Richmond, Virginia and Maryland received tornado warnings that were cancelled later that day.
Tornadoes Aren’t Just a Midwest Thing
Tornadoes have been stereotyped as being events that take place mainly in the Midwest in the multi-state area known as Tornado Alley. But in the last few years, it has become very clear that tornadoes are not isolated weather events for the Midwest, judging from news reports on social media.
In fact, tornadoes can happen anywhere, provided the weather conditions are right. Meteorologists have explained this fact to the general public for decades. In the future, there may be an increase in tornado outbreaks as the result of global warming.
Extensive Damage in Richmond from Tornadoes
In Richmond, the damages appear to be relatively extensive where tornadoes touched down. Several articles have already deemed that the remnants of Florence were to blame for the tornados. Photos and videos show that a tornado completely destroyed a lumber warehouse and ripped the roof off of a Richmond commercial building while cars sped by.
For residents in the Richmond area, the tornadoes were particularly shocking. Tornadoes are a rare event in this area.
Hurricane Florence’s Lesson: Always Be Vigilant and Prepared
Hurricane Florence has certainly taught Americans an important lesson. Hurricanes may lose their wind-speed, but they can still remain a serious flooding threat and lead to very dangerous weather conditions like tornadoes.
A downgrade in hurricane categories often deceives individuals into believing that a storm is no longer a threat, unless those people actually experience the storm’s effects themselves. One article published by USA Today argues that the downgrade in Florence’s power contributed to a false sense of security. Ultimately, as Hurricane Florence or any other major storm moves through an area, citizens should remain vigilant and prepared.
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