The married couple Harvey and Irma are upset that the storms with their names bring destruction and grief to people. They raised many adopted children

Americans Harvey and Irma Schlater have been married for 75 years. Harvey turned 104 in July and Irma will be 93 in November. During their long lives they have seen a lot important events in history. However, for the first time, they are surprised to see how many days in a row their names constantly flash on TV screens. Thus, they watched in dismay as August 25th brought destruction and flooding to the state of Texas. And this week has already devastated two islands, the site reports.

"I don't know how they [the forecasters] did it to get Harvey and Irma together," Ms. Schlater said. "I don't know how it happened."

How hurricanes are named

The explanation is simple. Since 1979, the World Meteorological Organization has alternated male and female female names for tropical storms over the Atlantic.

The six major name lists are stored and used in rotation, so the names of the 2017 minor hurricanes will reappear in 2023. Only the most destructive and deadly hurricanes remain in history under their own names. And their names are no longer used.

For example, such memorable hurricanes were Andrew and Mitchum in the 1990s, Isabelle, Evan, Katrina and Felix in the 2000s.

The name "Harvey" was first used for a storm in 1981, and six other storms have since been given this name. The storm that followed Harvey every six years was called Irene. But in 2011, Hurricane Irene was devastating to the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States, so the name is no longer used.

Given the ferocity of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, this will likely be the first and last time these names appear together.

They raised many adopted children

The Schlater couple have never experienced the power of hurricanes, as they live in the state of Washington in the northwestern United States.

Harvey served in the army during World War II and later worked as a hairdresser.

The married couple raised adopted children all their lives. Over the years, 120 children have been raised in their home. With all these, now adults, people, the Schlaters still communicate closely. They consider it a major achievement in their lives that they helped all these children get back on their feet.

During Harvey and Irma's childhood, even the radio was the latest invention. In a new century, after 75 years of marriage, they watch in amazement as their names flash across a screen of destruction and evacuation.

Harvey and Irma Schlater are very hopeful that the storm will soon subside and life will return to normal.

JoInfoMedia journalist Nata Lee recalls that Hurricane Irma also destroyed the luxurious Eden Rock Hotel, the sister of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Forecasters calculated the damage caused to the United States by two of the strongest natural disasters - hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which hit the US states of Texas and Florida. According to them, it can reach a record amount of 290 billion dollars.

According to experts from the meteorological company AccuWeather, the damage caused to the United States by two major natural disasters - hurricanes "Harvey" and "Irma", is estimated at a record amount. According to the head of the organization Joel Myers, the cumulative damage from these natural disasters is approximately 290 billion dollars, or one and a half percent of the country's GDP. He noted that the damage caused by hurricanes is unprecedented. According to Myers, Hurricane Irma "probably" caused damage in the amount of about $ 100 billion, and "Harvey" turned out to be a natural disaster that caused the country and its inhabitants the greatest damage - about $ 190 billion.

Myers pointed out that in their calculations, the meteorologists took into account such indicators as the increase in unemployment caused by hurricanes, business disruptions, crop losses, the destruction of buildings and structures owned by private individuals, and so on.

Until now, Hurricane Katrina, which struck the United States in 2005, has been considered the most destructive natural disaster. About 2,000 people became victims of the natural disaster, and the American treasury was forced to spend $108 billion to eliminate the consequences of the natural disaster and restore the affected areas.

Powerful Hurricane Harvey came to the coast of Texas in August, in connection with which a state of emergency was declared in its territory. The city of Houston was particularly hard hit. Several dozen people became victims of the cataclysm

Hurricane Irma hit the coast of Florida in early September. The main blow of the elements fell on Miami, which was badly damaged due to heavy rains and wind.

The attentive reader will notice that the English versions of the names of the weather systems (Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia) begin with the letters of the English alphabet, following one after another. And indeed, names of major tropical storms in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico taken from an alphabetical list compiled by the US National Hurricane Center, which prepares 21 names per year for 7 years in advance.

In other words, the first major storm of the 2022 season will be named Alex. (Alex), and the twenty-first if there is one "Walter" (Walter). If the list ends before the hurricane season which could happen in 2017 Greek letters will come to the rescue, starting with "Alpha".

Naming tropical storms that could turn into killer hurricanes is serious business, so the UN World Meteorological Organization retains veto power.

It is rarely used, but in April 2015 the World Meteorological Organization's expert panel dropped the name "Isis" (isis) belonged to the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility from the 2016 list for the east of the northern part Pacific Ocean, where there is its own cyclic list. ISIS Abbreviation for the Islamic State terrorist group responsible for numerous terrorist attacks.

The practice of naming hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin began in the early 1950s to "help quickly identify storms in warning messages, as names are much easier to remember than numbers and technical terms”, explains the World Meteorological Organization on its website.

Name of typhoons is the name given to tropical storms in the Pacific Northwest has a shorter history and involves 14 states in the region. Each country proposes 10 candidate names animals, plants, astrological signs, mythological heroes. They are being considered by the WMO Typhoon Committee in Tokyo. Just in case, and to avoid confusion, storms are also assigned numbers.

Tropical cyclones in Indian Ocean name in turn the countries of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The World Meteorological Organization oversees this process, which began in 2000.

In the Atlantic, names for superstorms include English, Spanish and French, out of respect for the language of the countries most at risk. The list of names for storms alternates male and female names. But it was not always so. During World War II, American sailors named storms after their wives and girlfriends. For several decades after the war, tropical storms and hurricanes bore exclusively female names. In the 1970s, this practice was called sexist, and from 1979 men's names began to be added to the lists.

Before meteorologists and bureaucrats took over, the naming process was much more informal. In the 19th century, the storm took on the name of the Catholic saint on whose day it hit. And in Australia, meteorologists gave cyclones the names of politicians they didn't like.

Before the United States had recovered from the impact of Harvey, Hurricane Irma, which is called the most powerful hurricane in the Atlantic in the last decade, began to approach the southeast coast.

The hurricane has already reached the fifth, maximum category - it is stronger than Hurricane Harvey, which previously hit the coast of Texas and led to catastrophic flooding.

Meanwhile, Storm Katya has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Mexico and is moving at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour and is likely to accelerate.

What to expect from Irma

A hurricane of this magnitude rips roofs off houses and uproots trees, turning them into projectiles capable of killing people. At the same time, as it moves towards the mainland, the hurricane will only gain strength.

As of September 6, Irma has already reached the shores of the state of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean Sea and is now moving northwest at a speed of about 300 kilometers per hour.

The hurricane is expected to pass through Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti. The Irma will reach the coast of Florida before the weekend.

US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in the state of Florida and the American overseas territories in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Many airports Caribbean are closed, airlines have either canceled flights or are making decisions based on the actual weather at the destination.

Florida authorities announced the mobilization of all National Guard troops, and also began the evacuation of tourists from the islands off the southern coast of the state.

“We don’t know exactly where the hurricane will hit, but the weather can change quickly. While we are hoping for the best, we must be prepared for the worst,” said Gov. Rick Scott.

Hurricane warnings have sparked huge queues at stores across Florida as people flocked to get water, food, fuel and other supplies. As a result, the shelves of some stores quickly emptied.

In one of the supermarkets in Miami Beach, where the AFP correspondent visited, there were almost no basic necessities left.

“It’s because people go crazy and buy everything. There is no water, no milk, some canned food, but no cat food,” says a local resident.

Irma could also have serious consequences for the US energy sector, paralyzing oil production in the Mexico Basin.

Apocalypse from "Harvey"

All last week in the state of Texas, a powerful storm "Harvey" raged, flooding the largest city in the state of Houston.

According to the latest data, the storm claimed the lives of 60 people. Most people died in Harris County, Texas, the death toll has reached 30.

Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey / Getty

"Harvey" became the most powerful hurricane in the United States over the past 12 years. The wind speed in the center of the hurricane reached 200-208 kilometers per hour, about 100 thousand houses were affected by it.

As a result of the disaster, vast territories were flooded, transport was paralyzed and power lines were cut off, which left about 155,000 people without electricity.

"Harvey" caused serious damage to the energy sector of America, paralyzing the fifth part of the oil refining capacity in the country.

The Texas authorities claimed more than $180 billion in damage from Harvey. Damage is a third greater than that of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005.

Dissatisfied with the flood because of "Harvey" the cat became a meme

Trump has already asked the US Congress to allocate $ 7.85 billion for urgent expenses for the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

In addition, the American president announced that he would donate a million dollars from his personal funds to the hurricane relief fund.

However, public attention was drawn to high-heeled shoes, in which US First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Texas after the hurricane.

The Daily Mirror in the headline of the article called such shoes "the most unsuitable one imaginable" for such a trip.

Daliy Beast also poked fun at the first lady's "inappropriate" outfit, noting that "waterproof" shoes would be much more useful to her on the trip.

Trump's office commented on the media reports as follows: "It's sad that while the country is suffering from a natural disaster, the people are worried about her shoes."

During her second trip to Texas, Melania also wore stilettos despite criticism.

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