Verum had been here before in her dream. This very situation! Once again, the Bruha had placed her on top of a hurricane. Verum was sprinting to keep up. This time, she had grown whiskers and a tiny pink nose. She looked down. That was a bad idea at this height but she could see something. It was an iconic monument.
Verum woke up with a start and whispered, “The Statue of Liberty.”
She rushed to her crystal ball to look for news from New York. Verum’s mouth dropped open when the news became known to her. She said, “Hurricane Ida caused widespread destruction in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi in the United States (US). But then the Category 4 Hurricane weakened to a Storm.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” said Orak, sitting next to Verum.
“I am afraid not,” replied Verum, “On reaching the Northeast, what remained of Hurricane Ida caused heavy rainfall and flash flooding in New York and New Jersey last Wednesday. There were also reports of tornadoes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.”
She added, “The states of New York and New Jersey declared an emergency. New York’s iconic Central Park recorded 3.15 inches of rain within one hour! The subways and other low-lying areas were flooded. For the first time in history, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in New York City.”
“Oh my MysticLord,” said Orak, grimly.
“At least 24 people lost their lives in the flash flooding. And a tornado, which means a strong, dangerous wind forming an upside-down funnel, destroyed a neighborhood in South Jersey,” added Verum.
“How did Hurricane Ida get so strong?” wondered Orak, “When it formed in the Caribbean, it wasn’t as powerful.”
“You’re right, Orak,” said Verum, “But as it reached the Gulf of Mexico, the sea was unusually warm which intensified the storm. And the water was unusually warm because of global warming. More research will show what role did climate change have in powering Hurricane Ida.”