2023 was a disastrous year, and I don’t mean politically as MAGA would have you believe.
Nope, Mother Nature hammered us to the tune of $92.9 billion in damages from winter and summer storms, wildfires, hurricanes, freezes, flooding and drought.
The number of billion-dollar-a-year events have been rising, according to a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“As of Jan. 9, the events since 1980 included 31 drought events, 44 flooding events, nine freeze events, 186 severe storm events, 62 tropical cyclone events, 22 wildfire events and 22 winter storm events. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 16,340 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted,” NOAA explained.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers 12 ways to prepare for disasters.
1. Sign up for alerts and warnings
2. Make a plan
3. Save for a rainy day
4. Practice emergency drills
5. Test family communication plan
6. Safeguard documents
7. Plan with neighbors
8. Make your home safer
9. Know evacuation routes
10. Assemble or update supplies
11. Get involved in your community
12. Document and insure properly
The good news according to FEMA’s national risk index is the Northern Lower Peninsula and all of the UP have a very low risk for any of the extreme weather events that would cause major damage.
Yes, I remember Gaylord’s tornado, but that was an anomaly — how many other tornadoes have you lived through in Northern Michigan?
Where we live in Arizona has only a relatively moderate risk profile, probably based on drought and heat intensity. It’s a dry heat, but nonetheless …
The places you would think would have the highest risks for natural disasters are the ones that have the highest risk — southern California, the Gulf Coast shoreline counties, the coastal counties up and down the Eastern seaboard and the entire two-thirds of Florida outside the panhandle.
Needless to say all those weather events add up. For example, 2017 was a BIG year, $383.7 billion in damages across the country. Severe storms, cyclones and wildfires were the main events that year.
Most years the main culprit is severe storms, but 2020 had a huge number of wildfires.
At least for where we live, major weather events aren’t part of our everyday life.
Musical chairs
Finish the college football season and BAM, it’s a case of musical chairs throughout football land.
Nick Sabin, after an amazing decades-long career at Alabama, retires. And thus the Washington coach who lost to Michigan in the championship game moves to Alabama, University of Arizona coach bails out to take over the Washington program and the coach at San Jose State moves over to Arizona.
Got all that?
As for the players, more than a handful have opted out of their college eligibility to try their hand at the NFL draft and many, many others have entered the “transfer portal” in hopes of finding a better fit for their talents.
Then there is name, likeness and image — a way to allow players to financially capitalize on their skills and talent.
It’s hard enough being a coach without having to worry whether your top players are headed out the door to the NFL or another team.
In the meantime, we’ll just sit back and enjoy the games as they come.
— Kendall P. Stanley is retired editor of the News-Review. He can be contacted at [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and not necessarily of the Petoskey News-Review or its employees.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Kendall Stanley: Disasters waiting
Elaine Hadley is a dedicated journalist covering the ever-evolving landscape of U.S. news. With a keen interest in politics and a commitment to uncovering the truth, she provides insightful commentary and in-depth analysis on domestic issues. When not reporting, Elaine enjoys exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of the United States.
