J
Judson Jones
M
Michael Bavaro
N
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs
Michael Bavaro: 飓风海伦给佛罗里达州、卡罗来纳州、佐治亚州和田纳西州带来了毁灭性的打击,造成超过100人死亡,数千人流离失所,数百万人断电。最严重的破坏发生在北卡罗来纳州西部山区,那里的降雨量远超预期。这场风暴的破坏力巨大,任何准备措施都无法应对。
Judson Jones: 我亲身参与了飓风猎人行动,飞入飓风海伦中心,亲眼目睹了风暴的强度。加勒比海异常强烈的白浪预示着风暴的强度。墨西哥湾异常温暖的海水为飓风提供了充足的能量,使其在短短16小时内从一级飓风迅速增强为四级飓风。飓风登陆佛罗里达州佩里市时,风速高达每小时99英里,但由于风暴眼很大,强风持续时间较短。飓风移动迅速,在登陆佛罗里达州后迅速向北移动,并对佐治亚州和北卡罗来纳州造成了影响。北卡罗来纳州山区遭受了前所未有的降雨,导致了灾难性的洪水。这种洪水灾害难以预测和预防,因为人们难以想象平静的河流会变成奔腾的急流。
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs: 在马歇尔镇,我采访了受灾居民,了解到一位75岁的男子在洪水中紧紧抓住一棵树,最终不幸遇难。他的住所被洪水冲毁,他被困在树上长达六七个小时,最终被洪水冲走,至今仍未找到遗体。当地救援队由于水流湍急而无法及时救援。受灾地区的人们在悲痛的同时,也对未来重建充满了不确定性。
Unnamed Person: 北卡罗来纳州西部遭受了严重的洪水灾害,基础设施被破坏,通讯中断。
supporting_evidences
Judson Jones: 'Yeah, I was with the hurricane hunters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They fly into the heart of the storm to try to get a grasp of how strong the storm is.'
Judson Jones: 'When it got over the absurdly warm ocean temperatures, kind of near bathtub-like temperatures, this storm was able to fuel itself and get the energy it needed to rapidly intensify.'
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs: 'And I met with a husband and wife and their son who were pulling all of their belongings from a house in trash bags along this railroad. And one of the first things that they mentioned was this harrowing story down the street about a 75-year-old man who had clung to a tree for life as the floodwaters came in.'
Unnamed person: 'We have biblical devastation through the county. We've had biblical flooding here, and it has been extremely significant.'
Deep Dive
Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 4 hurricane in just 16 hours due to unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm caused widespread destruction across 600 miles, with particularly catastrophic flooding in the mountains of North Carolina due to heavy rainfall and saturated ground. The storm's large eye and swift movement contributed to the extensive damage.
- Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified due to record warm temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico.
- The storm's large eye resulted in prolonged periods of intense winds.
- North Carolina experienced catastrophic flooding due to a combination of heavy rainfall from Helene and a preceding weather pattern.
- The mountains of North Carolina saw some of the worst damage, including mudslides and washed-out infrastructure.
Shownotes Transcript