Hurricane Ida and the Water Supply

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, and it’s already been a rough one: 12 named storms, including fierce Hurricane Ida, the strongest storm of the season. When hurricane season approaches, we anticipate extreme winds, heavy rainfall, and massive flooding, all of which can be devastating. Hurricanes destroy infrastructure and homes as well as create other dangerous situations for those living there. In addition to these effects, there are some hidden issues that might not surface until after the rains and wind. One of these issues is the lack of clean and safe water.

Floodwater following a hurricane or massive rainstorm is more than simple rainwater–it’s typically contaminated with sewage, chemicals, and dangerously sharp objects like metal and glass. In areas hit heavily by natural disasters, water treatment plants may not be operating as normal, or even if they are, water lines may be tainted (1). As hurricanes churn over the ocean, they can bring rain that contains chemicals and undrinkable salt water. This rain then falls in rural areas, where fertilizers and pesticides can quickly contaminate private wells. In urban areas, city freshwater sources can also become contaminated. As the floodwaters move, they bring with them enormous amounts of contaminants like chemicals, sewage, and other debris (2). Flooding waters can breach water reservoirs causing contamination that water treatment systems cannot keep up with. Uprooted trees caused by heavy winds can also cause water line pipes to break or crack. In addition to fallen debris, sewage spills can contaminate water lines and affect utilities. Contaminated drinking water is a significant health risk, especially for those who are most vulnerable including infants, children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Contaminated drinking water following major flooding is at risk for carrying diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, e. Coli, and dysentery (1).

In fact, historic water quality after hurricanes has shown just that. Within a few days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that more than 1,220 drinking water systems and more than 200 wastewater treatment facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama had been affected, causing a large outbreak of gastrointestinal diseases triggered by e. Coli due to the lack of safe, potable water (1). In 2012 as a result of Hurricane Sandy, more than 690 wastewater and drinking water utilities in 11 states were compromised (2). In 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused significant and lasting damages to southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas. In the wake of the storm, safe and clean drinking water quickly became a major concern as the public drinking water supplies in many areas had been compromised and contaminated when floodwater inundated reservoirs (1). And most recently, Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on Aug. 29, 2021, left water systems with severed pipes, broken treatment units, and power outages. In New Orleans, the Sewerage and Water Board asked residents to conserve water to prevent sewage backups (3). Around 642,000 people remained without access to clean water, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Intensified by climate change, Hurricane Ida is one of the strongest storms on record to hit the Gulf Coast. Underlying the immediate devastation is the fact that Louisiana has one of the worst water systems in the country, which has left it vulnerable to storms like Ida. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, gave the state’s drinking water system a D- in a recent infrastructure report card (4). Nearly 60 percent of Louisiana’s water systems—1,335—are more than half a century old (4). Most of these systems are chronically underfunded, according to the ASCE, creating threats to water quality. The pre-existing fragility of Louisiana’s water systems creates a situation in which, as demonstrated by Hurricane Ida, it doesn’t take much to tip the scales from dysfunctional to full-blown shutdowns. Roughly 30 percent of state parishes are at risk of saltwater intrusion into their wells and aquifers.

But the problems go beyond power and pipelines. With rising sea levels, approximately 30 percent of the state parishes are at risk of saltwater entering the wells and aquifers where they source their water, according to ASCE’s 2017 report card.

Finding long-term solutions to the state’s water woes will not be easy, but experts say funding is a must. Conservation and creating a water resource management plan can help.

(1) “Hurricanes and Flooding Effect on Drinking Water.” Clearwater Systems, 11 Sept. 2018, www.clearwatersystems.com/how-hurricanes-and-major-flooding-affect-drinking-water.

(2) Postiff, Michelle. “How Do Hurricanes Affect Water Quality?” Connect For Water, 9 Sept. 2021, www.connectforwater.org/how-do-hurricanes-affect-water-quality.

(3) Walton, Brett. “Hurricane Ida Damages Louisiana Water Systems, Cuts Water Service.” Circle of Blue, 1 Sept. 2021, www.circleofblue.org/2021/world/hurricane-ida-damages-louisiana-water-systems-cuts-water-service.

(4) Rubiano A., María Paula. “Hurricane Ida Left a Huge Water Crisis in Its Wake.” Mother Jones, 10 Sept. 2021, www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/09/hurricane-ida-unsafe-drinking-water-crisis-new-orleans-louisiana.

Cover Photo from AP

Climate Change in 2022

We’ve all heard about the concept of climate change–the earth is getting warmer as greenhouse gasses trap heat in the atmosphere, glaciers are melting, turtles are dying, etc. But as we hear these things again and again, it’s easy to block them out and tell ourselves that we don’t really need to be doing anything, that global warming really isn’t that bad, and that we can just go on with our lives as normal. After all, we still have drinking water, an adequate amount of food, and a warm bed to sleep in at night.

However, there’s more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any point in time in the last 800,000 years. The forecasts that scientists have made for the next century are incredibly dire.

Human activity such as deforestation and fossil fuel burning have caused an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the most immediate effect of this is the rise in global temperature. Since the 19th century, the earth’s temperature has risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this may not seem like a lot, the effects that it has had on the planet have been far from small. In addition, scientists predict that temperatures are likely to rise by 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the coming century.

As a result of the increase in temperature, the oceans have become warmer, causing glaciers and ice sheets to melt, which then add to the water in the sea. Scientists have estimated that over 4,000 gigatons (equivalent to four billion metric tons) of ice sheets have melted into the ocean, causing weather patterns to change and extreme weather events to occur. Additionally, the sea levels have risen nearly 7 inches in the past century due to melting ice. Scientists believe that this could have massive effects in various places; Venice, for example, is expected to be completely underwater in the next fifty years. But it’s not just the increase in sea water that is causing problems, but the decrease in glacier ice. Normally, the melting glaciers in the northern hemisphere provide a steady stream of freshwater to surrounding ecosystems every summer, and every winter, snowfall replenishes those glaciers. In recent years, however, glaciers have been melting faster than snowfall can replace them. When they’re gone, the animals and plants living in those ecosystems won’t have a steady stream of freshwater.

Extreme events are also increasing in ferocity as a result of climate change. Tropical storms, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat, and drought have also grown in frequency and intensity over the years, and this trend is predicted to continue in the coming years. All of these not only have a profound effect on the ecosystems and wildlife on earth, but on humans too—not only because the world will be harder to live in, but because we’re connected in ways that we can’t even imagine to many of the plants and animals that live on earth.

The bottom line is that, as this way of life continues, the costs of climate change will become costlier and harder to control. Perhaps we are living comfortably now–but what about in fifty years, and what about the next generation? The effects of climate change will continue to worsen unless we make significant efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take care of the planet we were given.

Sources:

https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

https://www.tomorrow.io/weather/blog/global-warming-status/

Kiribati's Sinking Islands (And How Some Policies Might Help)

Kiribati is an island country made up of a chain of 33 islands in Oceania (the central Pacific Ocean). Though picturesquely beautiful and rich in unique cultures, the country is one of the first to suffer from the damage that climate change has done to our world. Ice caps, ice sheets, and glaciers are all melting, causing rising oceans that threaten an island nation like Kiribati since most of their islands are less than seven feet above sea level (1). Already, two of their islands Abanuea and Tebua Tarawa are under water — they became fully submerged in 1999. Though neither of these islands were inhabited, Tebua Tarawa was popular with fishermen, who now can no longer take advantage of the island. Storm surges are another problem. The sea water that washes ashore during storms floods houses and kills crops. Kiribati soil is not very fertile or accommodating for agriculture as it is, and the salt from storm surges only makes it worse.

Climate change is also causing coral bleaching in the ocean — which in turn causes the fish population to decline — and spoils Kiribati’s fresh water sources. Fish are the main source of protein for the people of Kiribati; with their agricultural prospects looking bleak and their main source of protein diminishing, the people of Kiribati are running out of food. With less access to fresh water, health problems are growing. Typhoid fever, diarrhea, dengue fever, malaria, and leptospirosis are some of the most prominent diseases commonly found in places negatively impacted by climate change. Citizens have tried to build walls made of coral rocks in an attempt to keep the sea water out, but they are ruined in the high tide. The islands of Kiribati will not last much longer, and drastic changes need to be made if the islands are to be saved.

The government and citizens of Kiribati are working to find solutions to their imminent problem. Residents have started to take simple actions, such as moving towns farther inland and planting mangrove trees to keep storm surges at bay. However, these actions alone are not enough. One solution is to build houses on large floating platforms. The problem with this idea is that it would cost around $2 million (2). Considering that the cost of building floating platforms exceeds Kiribati’s GDP (2), this plan is not feasible. At this point, the best solution is to relocate elsewhere. Kiribati’s government bought land in Fiji and currently uses it to grow crops; they also plan to use it as a place to evacuate Kiribati’s citizens if the country does become submerged. The New Zealand government has also opened its borders and allows 75 (3) Kiribatians to migrate there per year.

Kiribati only contributes about 0.6% (4) of the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, yet they are disproportionately being affected by climate change. While Kiribati is the one of the first countries to be harmed, it is only a matter of time before more countries are hurting. If climate change continues on its current path, cities as far inland as Los Angeles and London will eventually become submerged as well. Kiribati has joined with other island countries to fight climate change and are openly pushing for policies that cut down on the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted. Kiribati is working to save their islands, but they cannot do it alone. They need the support and cooperation of everyone. Climate change is not a problem that people can solve individually, we all need to work together to fight it.

(1) “Effects of climate change in Kiribati”. The World Bank, uploaded by The World Bank, 8 August 2021.

(2) Iberdrola, n.d., para. 8

(3) Iberdrola, n.d., para. 9

(4) Iberdrola, n.d., para. 6

Cover Photo: BBC Future