40. Life After Hurricane Irma - 6 Years On… And Beyond

6 September 2023, was the 6-year anniversary of Hurricane Irma. Since that time, there have been many other natural disasters, and so, on today’s show, I discuss some of the real life, devastating, and life-changing experiences that come with these large-scale weather events and disasters.  I share some of my lived experiences from Hurricane Irma. I then look at life after Irma from the perspectives of: the unshakeable nature of the human spirit, and some of my mental health experiences, including some PTSD symptoms, so that we can all have an awareness of what these can look like. I round of the discussion by looking ahead at what’s next. I discuss some of the recent scientific data around hurricanes, and talk about some potential solutions that may work towards protecting ourselves from strong storms. Topics:<br />00:00:00 Intro<br />00:01:52 Recap of last week’s show<br />00:06:29 Today’s show <br />00:10:05 Hurricane Irma <br />00:10:47 Data from the National Hurricane Center, NHC<br />00:13:07 The lived experience of Irma <br />00:21:05 Life After Irma – the unshakeable nature of the human spirit<br />00:22:28 Life After Irma – mental health experiences<br />00:24:39 Some of the symptoms of PTSD to look out for – in yourself, and others <br />00:26:08 Helping someone with PTSD<br />00:30:02 Life After Irma – the climate and what next?<br />00:32:27 Study Undertaken at Princeton University<br />00:35:11 What it all means – now <br />00:36:29 2nd World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability<br />00:37:36 Potential solutions <br />00:38:53 Conclusions Online resources:<br />Euro News, Three people die in Serbia as a second deadly storm rips through the Balkans this week: https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/22/three-people-die-in-serbia-as-a-second-deadly-storm-rips-through-the-balkans-this-week<br /> BBC, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece streets turn to rivers in deadly floods: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-66728709<br /> National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf<br /> Washington Post, Bonnie Berkowitz, Laris Karklis, Reuben Fischer-Baum, Chiqui Esteban, How big is Hurricane Irma?: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/how-big-is-hurricane-irma/#:~:text=About%20425%20miles%20wide%2C%20Irma,of%20South%20Florida%20in%201992<br /> BBC, Hurricane Irma: Survivors describe ‘total devastation’: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41190649<br /> Helpguide, Helping Someone with PTSD: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-someone-with-ptsd.htm<br /> National Public Radio, Why hurricanes feel like they’re getting more frequent: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/27/1158969044/why-hurricanes-feel-like-theyre-getting-more-frequent<br /> Nature Climate Change, Dazhi Xi, Ning Lin & Avantika Gori, Increasing sequential tropical cyclone hazards along the US East and Gulf Coasts: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01595-7<br /> World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability, 16-18 October 2023: