2017 has marked the return of the hurricane, with four major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria, thus far). Irma and Maria both reached category 5 status, with Irma reaching maximun sustained winds of 185 mph, and Maria reaching 175 mph. Harvey and Irma have impacted the United States, with Harvey striking Texas and Irma striking Florida; they were both category 4 hurricanes at landfall. The last time we had major hurricanes strike the U.S. was in 2005, the year of Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, and we all remember the absolute catastrophe that was Katrina.
Yes, hurricanes are back, reminding us that global warming and climate change are real, but apparently, Donald Trump doesn’t believe in it; he once it a hoax, and he pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. There was a sequel to the 2005 Al Gore documentary film An Inconvenient Truth recently released, titled An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, regarding Trump’s rise to power and his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Also, has anyone donated any money to hurricane relief efforts? Last week there was a hurricane relief telethon on all of the major TV networks, urging people to donate money.