Hurricane Matthew in Minnesota?
Debris from the storm surge of Hurricane Matthew litters the ocean front street in Edisto Beach, S.C., on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. Town officials say the storm washed between 3 and 4 feet of sand onto the street and the community took its worst hurricane hit since Hurricane David back in 1979. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)
Here in Minnesota we aren’t in the eye of the storm when it comes to hurricanes. We see the aftermath on TV and hear advertising for relief efforts on the radio or on social media, but we have never felt the reality of the disaster. People may ask themselves, “Is there even anything we could do to help from all the way up here?”
Workers hammer plywood over the windows of a home in Folly Beach. S.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The winds and rains of Hurricane Matthew are expected to affect the South Carolina coast by late in the week. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)
Recently Hurricane Matthew wreaked devastation throughout the Caribbean and East Coast., taking the lives of many innocent people. As of October 16th, the death toll was 44 in the U.S and over 1,000 in Haiti.
Senior Nina Linda’s father was in Florida right before the storm hit. “There was a drop in temperature, heavy winds and large waves,” she said. “Many people were going crazy in preparation for the storm.”
Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina are dealing with the disaster Hurricane Matthew has left behind. There were mass floods and evacuations in all surrounding areas. In Florida alone, more than 1.5 million people were evacuated to avoid casualties from the flood and more than a million people lost power in their homes. In North Carolina, the flood has been more devastating with seven people dead.
A firetruck drives through a flooded street in the hospital district of Charleston, S.C., on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 after Hurricane Matthew passed through. Most of the damage in the city was downed trees and street flooding and officials said 100 streets were closed because of high water. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)
On an international scale, Hurricane Matthew hit the Caribbean the hardest. Parts of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas were hit the hardest . Haiti was the most severely damaged by, at the time, a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds. Flash floods and mud slides due to the heavy rainfall were a big problem in Haiti and neighboring countries. According to the USA Today article by Susan Miller, ‘One week after Matthew: This is what Haiti looks like‘, the death toll in Haiti alone is around 900 people and experts assume it will keep rising due to the lack of communicate with some parts of Haiti.
Aid from all over the world is being sent to help the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. According to the United Nations, around 1.4 million people are in need of assistance so they are estimating the cost will be around $120 million. In the southwest of Haiti specifically, 750,000 people are in need of “life-saving assistance and protection” in the upcoming 3 months.
In this Oct. 13, 2016 photo, fallen trees are scattered around homes damaged and destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in the mountains of southwestern Haiti. Haitian and international agricultural officials say it could be a decade or more before the southwestern peninsula recovers economically from Hurricane Matthew, which struck hard at the rugged region of more than 1 million people that is almost completely dependent on farming and fishing. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
The U.S. has a reputation for the lack of coverage the media gives natural disasters, like with the Louisiana floodings during the Olympics. They usually focus on politics or celebrities, but just think of the benefits that could come from more media exposure about these natural disasters. With more people aware of the situations, more aid and donations could go to the places in need.
If you want to help you can donate to the American Red Cross, International Red Cross, UNICEF as well as other relief organizations. A little goes a long way with donations. Everything, from clothing to food is in dire need. Even though we aren’t directly affected by Hurricane Matthew in Minnesota, we can still make a difference and help others in need.
