Briana Koeneman
Climate Change Might Make Intense Hurricanes Like Harvey More Common
Climate change could make storm surges and rainfall worse in future hurricanes.
LEARN MOREPosted: 10:07 a.m. EDT Sep 5, 2017
The U.S. is bracing for yet another powerful hurricane.
Forecasters said Tuesday that Hurricane Irma had intensified to a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of around 175 miles per hour.
The exact path Hurricane Irma will take is still unclear. Officials issued hurricane watches and warnings for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and parts of the Leeward Islands as the storm made its way through the Caribbean.
The governors of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida all declared states of emergency ahead of the potentially devastating storm.
And residents on the U.S. East Coast were already stocking up on supplies in case the hurricane makes landfall near them.
"My children and I — I'm a single mom — we wanted to get ready for the hurricane. Harvey really scared me," one Florida resident told WPTV.
The preparations for this latest storm come as Texas and Louisiana continue to deal with the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Harvey.
That hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm Aug. 25, leaving dozens of people dead and thousands of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed.
