WOW! Where did this hurricane come from?! Hurricane Patricia is the strongest hurricane in all recorded history. I’ve been so busy with work, I haven’t looked at the news all week. Look at that horrifying path! She’ll hit Texas over the weekend, which is already dealing with massive flooding and surely the governor will declare a state of emergency (and, sorry guys for the political jab, be forced to request federal assistance from Obama. Awkwarrdd…).
Oh man, this is horrible.
To put Patricia into perspective, Hurricane Katrina - which devastated New Orleans, killed ~2,000 people, and exposed how deeply weak the United States disaster response system really is - clocked maximum winds of 174 miles per hour (280kmh). Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 was the previous record holder with 196 mph/315kmh winds (~6,500 people killed).
Patricia is clocking 200 miles per hour (322kmh), making her the strongest storm, ever. No one knows what to expect regarding damage.
Eight million people in Mexico are in imminent danger, and millions more are at extremely high risk. Let’s hope Mexico is prepared…
Stay safe Mexico!
(via sailorjah)