Last week warnings were sent out across the Caribbean about a
potentially devastating category 5 hurricane that was heading towards
Central America from the Atlantic. Islands throughout the Caribbean
began preparing for hurricane Irma to hit with thousands of people being
evacuated from their homes as they began to brace themselves for the
storm.
On
September 6th 2017, hurricane Irma reached its peak intensity with
winds of up to 185mph battering the Caribbean causing utter devastation
to everything in its path. As it headed towards Cuba the storm was
downgraded to a category 4 hurricane but that did not mean things were
going to be getting any easier for the local people. After devastating
parts of Cuba it headed towards Florida, wiping out power and leaving
thousands homeless across the peninsula.
Hurricane Irma is one of
the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded and has caused the loss
of dozens of lives particularly in the Caribbean. The aftermath of the
storm has been devastating with severe flooding throughout the affected
areas adding to the devastation already caused by this insanely intense
tropical storm.
Although the impact on wild animal populations
will not be fully known for some time, it is already clear that a number
of species have been significantly affected both on land and in the
water. With the loss of household pets and animals in captivity being
more obvious it is really important to consider the impact that
hurricanes have on native populations.
Animal sanctuaries in the
region have already been inundated with casualties from the storm with
calls for help from additional volunteers and much needed supplies.
Large aquatic mammals including dolphins and manatees have had to be
recused after becoming beached on land when the water drained away;
nests from sea turtles have been washed into the sea with hatchlings
having to be rescued, and, birds including the iconic flamingo have been
rounded up and kept indoors to protect them from the storm.
The
long-term impact of such catastrophic natural disasters will be vast.
Hurricanes can easily wipe out entire species if they are endemic to a
small area, taking their homes away and stripping down the food chain.
In the oceans, coral reefs can become so covered in silt and debris that
algae begins to take hold and ultimately leads to the reefs dying.
Rivers can very quickly become heavily polluted leading to fatal
consequences for the animals and plants that live in them.
Although
storms such as hurricane Irma can be devastating for thousands of
animal species who not only lose their natural habitats but also find it
hard to find food, some species are known to actually cope quite well
in such difficult conditions such as toads that thrive in the wet and
scavengers like raccoons who take advantage of the strewn debris. That
said though, the situation is simply devastating for all concerned as
the region begins to try and face the daunting clean-up operation in the
aftermath of the storm, with the damage believed to be in the tens of
billions of dollars.
