Mphepo yamkuntho Harvey: Madzi osefukira a Kumtunda, Madzi Otsika

"Mumachokera kuti?"

"Houston, Texas."

"Oo Kalanga ine. Pepani. Banja lako likuyenda bwanji?”

“Chabwino. Zonse zili bwino zomwe zimathera bwino. "

Monga mbadwa ya ku Houston yemwe watcha Houston kunyumba moyo wanga wonse (waufupi), ndakhala ndi Allison, Rita, Katrina, Ike, ndipo tsopano Harvey. Kuchokera kunyumba kwathu chakumadzulo kwa Houston, sitikudziŵa bwino za kusefukira kwa madzi. Nthawi zambiri, dera lathu limasefukira kamodzi pachaka kwa tsiku limodzi, nthawi zambiri zimachitika m'nyengo yachilimwe.

Woyandikana naye nyumba akuyenda momasuka pa Tsiku la Misonkho kusefukira kunja kwa nyumba yathu pa Epulo 18, 2016.

Ndipo komabe, palibe amene adawoneratu kuti Hurricane Harvey ikugunda molimba monga idachitira. Zowononga zambiri zomwe Harvey anasiya ku Texas zinali zochepa ponena za mphepo yamkuntho yeniyeni, komanso zambiri za mvula yamkuntho yomwe inabwera nayo. Mphepo yamkunthoyi, yomwe inkayenda pang'onopang'ono, inapitirira ku Houston kwa masiku angapo, ikugwetsa madzi ochuluka kwa nthawi yaitali. Chifukwa cha mvulayi, mzinda wachinayi waukulu kwambiri ku US ndi mayiko oyandikana nawo ndi madzi okwana magaloni 33 thililiyoni.¹ M’kupita kwa nthaŵi, madzi ambiri ameneŵa anabwerera kumene anachokera, kunyanja.² Komabe, ananyamula zinthu zambiri zoipitsa zinthu, kuphatikizapo mankhwala ochokera m’zitsulo zosefukira, mabakiteriya oopsa, ndi zinyalala zosiyidwa m’misewu.³

Malinga ndi National Weather Service, mbali yanga ya tawuni idalandira mvula pakati pa mainchesi 30 mpaka 40. ¹⁰

Madzi a m'mphepete mwa nyanja ya Gulf nthawi zonse akhala njira yathu yoyamba yodzitetezera ku mphepo yamkuntho, koma timayika, ndi ife eni, pachiwopsezo tikalephera kuwateteza.⁴ Mwachitsanzo, mwina sitingapambane poteteza madambo a m’mphepete mwa nyanjawa, ndipo m’malo mwake timawasiya kuti agwetsedwe pofuna kukonza malo amene angaoneke ngati opindulitsa kuposa kusiya madambo kumeneko kuti atetezeke ku mphepo yamkuntho yamtsogolo. Mofananamo, madambo a m'mphepete mwa nyanja athanzi amasefanso madzi otuluka kumtunda, kuchepetsa kuwonongeka kwa nyanja.

Madzi akumtunda akuyenda ku Gulf of Mexico. ¹¹

Chitetezo cha m'mphepete mwa nyanja chikhoza kuvulazidwa ndi zinthu zina zowononga zachilengedwe, monga mvula yamkuntho ya Hurricane Harvey. Madzi amvula amatsika kuchokera ku mapiri a Houston kupita ku Gulf of Mexico, monganso magawo awiri mwa atatu a madzi opanda mchere a ku United States.⁵ Ngakhale pano, madzi abwino omwe Harvey adagwetsa akadali osakanikirabe ndi madzi amchere a Gulf.⁶ Mwamwayi, ngakhale kuti ku Gulf kunali kuchepa kwa mchere wa mchere chifukwa cha “madzi ozizira” amenewa, sipanakhalepo zakufa kwa anthu ambiri m’mphepete mwa matanthwe a m’mphepete mwa nyanja, makamaka chifukwa cha kumene madziwa anathamangira kuchoka ku zachilengedwe zimenezi. Pakhala pali zolembedwa zochepa zosonyeza kuti poizoni watsopano angapezeke m'madera apafupi ndi madambo, otsalira pamene madzi osefukira amatsikira ku Gulf.

Zida zochokera ku Hurricane Harvey.¹²

Zonsezi, mzinda wa Houston unasefukira kwambiri chifukwa mzindawu unamangidwa pamalo amene anasefukira madzi. M'kupita kwa nthawi, kuchulukirachulukira kwa mizinda komanso kusowa kwa madera akuwonjezera chiopsezo chathu cha kusefukira kwamadzi chifukwa misewu ya konkriti imalowa m'malo mwa udzu mosaganizira zotsatira za kuchulukana kosalamulirika kwa mizinda.⁷ Mwachitsanzo, dera lathu lomwe lili pamtunda wa makilomita ochepa chabe kuchokera ku Addicks ndi Barker Reservoirs, m’dera lathu munakumana ndi kusefukira kwa madzi kwa nthawi yaitali chifukwa madzi sanasinthe. Pofuna kuonetsetsa kuti mzinda wa Houston usasefukire, akuluakulu a boma anasankha mwadala kumasula zipata zomwe zinkayang'anira malo osungiramo madzi, zomwe zinachititsa kuti nyumba zisefukire zomwe poyamba sizinkayembekezeka kusefukira ku West Houston.⁸ Zida zolimba monga asphalt ndi konkire zimakonda kukhetsa madzi m'malo mozimwa, motero madziwo adasonkhana m'misewu ndipo kenako adalowa ku Gulf of Mexico.

(Tsiku 4) Galimoto ya mnansi, imodzi mwa anthu pafupifupi miliyoni imodzi yomwe inasefukira mumzinda. ¹³

Panthawiyi, tinakhala kwa mlungu umodzi tili m’nyumba mwathu. Alonda a m'mphepete mwa nyanja ndi odzipereka oyendetsa ngalawa nthawi zambiri ankadutsa ndikufunsa ngati tikufuna kupulumutsidwa kapena kuthandizidwa panthawi yomwe tinali mkati. Anthu ena oyandikana nawo nyumba anapita kukapinga kwawo n’kupachika nsalu zoyera m’mitengo yawo monga chizindikiro chakuti akufuna kupulumutsidwa. Pamene madzi anaphwa pa tsiku lakhumi la chigumula cha zaka 1,000⁹ ndipo pomalizira pake tinatha kuyenda panja osadutsa m’madzi, kuwonongeka kunali kodabwitsa. Kununkhira kwa chimbudzi kunali ponseponse ndipo zinyalala zinali zitangoti mbwee. Nsomba zakufa zinali m’misewu ya konkire ndipo magalimoto osiyidwa anali m’mphepete mwa misewu.

(Tsiku 5) Tinkagwiritsa ntchito ndodo kusonyeza mmene madzi akukwera.

Tsiku lina titamasuka kuyendayenda panja, ine ndi banja langa tinanyamuka kupita ku Minnesota ku New Student Week ku Carleton College. Pamene tinali kukwera mamita zikwizikwi m’mwamba, sindikanachitira mwina koma kulingalira mmene tinaliri m’gulu la anthu ochita mwayi. Nyumba yathu inali youma ndipo moyo wathu sunali pachiswe. Komabe, sindikudziwa kuti tidzakhala ndi mwayi wotani nthawi ina akuluakulu a mzindawo akadzaona kuti n’kosavuta kusefukira m’dera lathu kusiyana ndi kumanganso chitetezo.

Chinthu chimodzi chimene chinandilimbikitsa kwambiri chinali pamene bambo anga a zaka XNUMX anandiuza kuti, “Chabwino, ndine wokondwa kuti sindidzaonanso zinthu ngati zimenezi m’moyo wanga.”

Kumeneko ndinayankha kuti, “Sindidziŵa zimenezo, Atate.”

"Mukuganiza choncho?"

"Ndikudziwa choncho."

(Tsiku 6) Ine ndi atate wanga tinawoloka m’madzi kuti tikafike pamalo ogulitsira mafuta pakona ya msewu. Tinapempha kukwera bwato kubwerera kwathu ndipo ndinajambula chithunzi chochititsa chidwi kwambiri chimenechi.

Andrew Farias ndi membala wa kalasi ya 2021 ku Carleton College, yemwe wangomaliza kumene maphunziro ku Washington, DC.

¹https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/08/30/harvey-has-unloaded-24-5-trillion-gallons-of-water-on-texas-and-louisiana/?utm_term=.7513293a929b
²https://www.popsci.com/where-does-flood-water-go#page-5
³http://www.galvbay.org/news/how-has-harvey-impacted-water-quality/
⁴https://oceanfdn.org/blog/coastal-ecosystems-are-our-first-line-defense-against-hurricanes
⁵https://www.dallasnews.com/news/harvey/2017/09/07/hurricane-harveys-floodwaters-harm-coral-reefs-gulf-mexico
⁶http://stormwater.wef.org/2017/12/gulf-mexico-researchers-examine-effects-hurricane-harvey-floodwaters/
⁷https://qz.com/1064364/hurricane-harvey-houstons-flooding-made-worse-by-unchecked-urban-development-and-wetland-destruction/
⁸https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2017/10/16/barker-addicks-reservoirs-release-west-houston-memorial-energy-corridor-hurricane-harvey
⁹https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/08/31/harvey-is-a-1000-year-flood-event-unprecedented-in-scale/?utm_term=.d3639e421c3a#comments
¹⁰ https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-harvey-forecast-texas-louisiana-arkansas
¹¹ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/29/houston-area-impacted-hurricane-harvey-visual-guide
¹² https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=90866