By Staff
Our View
This year looks to be a grim one for natural disasters. Indonesia suffered major losses after after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake, weather experts have estimated that at least three major hurricanes will hit the coastal states and it is predicted that Alabama will be eighth in the country as far as magnitude of tornado damage.
Indonesia's earthquake triggered a tsunami scare which caused the evacuation of several metropolitan areas. At least 330 people were killed by the quake and the death toll is expected to rise as high as 2,000. Though the death toll sounds small in comparison to other recent disasters, for the small Indonesian island one out of every six homes was flattened and a large percentage of the population has been killed or injured.
The National Weather Service believes that at least three major hurricanes will strike this country. At this point they do not believe those storms will be as severe as last year's, but then again they didn't know last year's storms would be as severe as they were.
Based on National Weather Service data from 1950 through 2003 a company called VorTek has determined that Alabama has been assessed in the Top 10 for tornado damage assessment. The company believes that over 2965 acres of land in this state will be damaged this year by tornados.
Worldwide we have seen more natural destruction in the past 10 years than at almost any other point in history.
We should all be prepared for the next disaster and we should all pray for those who have already been struck