Hurricane Harvey: Mafashamo Ekumusoro, Mvura Yekudzika

"Unobva kupi?"

"Houston, Texas."

“Oh, Mwari wangu. Ndine urombo. Mhuri yenyu iri sei?”

"Kugona. Zvese zvakanaka zvinopera zvakanaka."

Semunhu akaberekerwa muHouston akadana Houston kumba kwese (hupfupi) hupenyu hwangu, ndakararama kuburikidza naAllison, Rita, Katrina, Ike, uye zvino Harvey. Kubva kumba kwedu kumadokero kweHouston, hatina kujaira mafashamo. Kazhinji, nharaunda yedu inofashama kamwe pagore kwerinenge zuva, nguva zhinji inoitika muchirimo.

Muvakidzani anokwira zvikepe panguva yeZuva reMutero kunze kwemba yedu musi wa18 Kubvumbi 2016.

Uye zvakadaro, hapana akafanoona Hurricane Harvey ichirova zvakanyanya sezvayakaita. Zvakawanda zvekuparadza kwakasiiwa naHarvey muTexas kwaive kushoma nezvedutu chairo, uye nezvemvura zhinji yakauya nayo. Dutu iri raifamba zvishoma nezvishoma rakagara pamusoro peHouston kwemazuva akati wandei, richidonhedza mvura zhinji kwenguva yakareba. Mvura yakazotevera yakazadza guta rechina rakakura kwazvo reUS nenyika dzakavakidzana ne33 trillion marita emvura.¹ Pakupedzisira, zhinjisa dzeidzi mvura dzakawana nzira yokudzokera kwadzakabva, kugungwa.² Zvisinei, vakatakura zvinhu zvinosvibisa zvakawanda, zvinosanganisira makemikari anobva munzvimbo dzokuchenesa dzakazara nemvura, mabhakitiriya ane chepfu, nemarara akasiyiwa mumigwagwa.³

Maererano neNational Weather Service, rutivi rwangu rweguta rwakawana pakati pe30 kusvika 40 inches yemvura. ¹⁰

Gulf coastal wetlands yagara iri mutsara wedu wekutanga wekudzivirira kubva kumhepo inodzivirira, asi tinoisa ivo, uye isu pachedu, panjodzi kana tikatadza kuvadzivirira.⁴ Semuenzaniso, tinogona kunge tisina kubudirira mukudzivirira idzi nzvimbo dzemvura dzemumhenderekedzo yegungwa, uye panzvimbo pacho tinodzisiya kuti dziputswe mukuedza kugadzira nzira yezvivakwa zvingaite senge zvine pundutso pane kusiya matoropo kuti adzivirire kune rimwe dutu remangwana. Saizvozvowo, manyoro emumhenderekedzo yegungwa ane utano anosefawo mvura inoyerera kubva panyika, zvichideredza kuvadziko kugungwa.

Mvura yokumusoro inoyerera ichipinda muGulf of Mexico. ¹¹

Iyo yekudzivirira yegungwa system inogona kukuvadzwa nezvimwe zvinokuvadza zvakatipoteredza, semvura inonaya kubva kuHurricane Harvey. Mvura inonaya inoyerera ichidzika kubva kuHouston floodplains ichipinda muGulf of Mexico, sezvinoita zvikamu zviviri muzvitatu zvemvura yakachena yeUnited States.⁵ Kunyangwe ikozvino, mvura yakachena yakadonhedzwa naHarvey haisati yanyatso kusanganiswa nemvura yemunyu yeGulf.⁶ Sezvineiwo, kunyangwe kushomeka kwemunyu kwakanyorwa muGulf semhedzisiro yeiyi "mvura yakachena blob," hapasati pave nezvinyorwa zvinofa-kufa kubva kumakorari ecoral reef, zvakanyanya nekuda kwenzira iyo mvura idzi dzakayerera dzichibva kune izvi zvipenyu. Pave paine zvinyorwa zvishoma zvezvipi zvitsva zvinogona kuwanikwa munzvimbo dziri pedyo nemahombekombe uye munzvimbo dzine mvura, dzakasiiwa sezvo mafashama akayerera achidzika kuGulf.

Sediments kubva kuHurricane Harvey.¹²

Pamwe chete, Houston yakasangana nemafashamo akanyanya kudaro nekuti guta racho rakanga rakavakirwa panzvimbo yakati sandara. Nekufamba kwenguva, kukura kwemadhorobha uye kushaikwa kwemakodhi enzvimbo kunowedzera njodzi yedu yekufashama sezvo nzira dzekongiri dzakagadzirwa dzichitsiva nzvimbo dzeuswa pasina hanya nemhedzisiro yekusadzoreka kwemaguta.⁷ Somuenzaniso, iri makiromita mashoma kubva kuAddicks neBarker Reservoirs, nharaunda yedu yakasangana nemafashamo akareba kudaro nokuti mvura yakaramba isina kujeka. Kuitira kuti dhorobha reHouston rirege kufashamira, vakuru vakuru vakasarudza nemaune kusunungura magedhi anodzora madhamu, izvo zvakakonzera kufashama kwedzimba dzaive dzisingatarisirwi kufashama muWest Houston.⁸ Hardscape zvinhu zvakaita seasphalt nekongiri zvinogara zvichidurura mvura pane kuitora, saka mvura yakaungana mumigwagwa uye gare gare yakawana nzira yavo kupinda muGulf yeMexico.

(Zuva rechi4) Rori yomuvakidzani, imwe yeinosvika mirioni imwe yakafashamira muguta. ¹³

Ukuwo, takapedza inopfuura vhiki tiri mumba medu. VeCoast Guard nevazvikepe vanozvipira vaiwanzopfuura vachibvunza kana taida kununurwa kana zvinhu panguva yataigara mukati. Vamwe vavakidzani vakabuda vachienda kumafuro avo ndokuturika machira machena pamiti yavo sechiratidzo chokuti vaizoda kununurwa. Mvura payakaserera pazuva regumi rechiitiko ichi chemakore 1,000 XNUMX⁹ uye takazokwanisa kufamba kunze tisina kupinda mumvura, kukuvara kwacho kwaishamisa. Kunhuwa kwetsvina yetsvina kwakanga kuri kwese kwese uye ungwandangwanda hwakazara nemugwagwa. Hove dzakafa dzakarara mumigwagwa yekongiri uye motokari dzakasiiwa dzakanga dzakadungamidzana mumigwagwa.

(Zuva rechishanu) Takashandisa kamuti kuratidza kuti mvura yakanga ichikwira sei.

Zuva rakatevera takasununguka kufamba-famba panze, mhuri yangu neni takarongerwa kubhururuka kuenda kuMinnesota kuVhiki Itsva yeVadzidzi paCarleton College. Pataikwira zviuru zvemakumbo mudenga, handina kukwanisa kuita kunze kwokufunga kuti takanga taita rombo rakanaka sei. Musha wedu wakanga waoma uye upenyu hwedu hwakanga husina kuiswa mungozi. Zvisinei, handizivi kuti tichava nerombo rakadii panguva inotevera vakuru vakuru veguta pavachafunga kuti zviri nyore kudira mvura munharaunda yedu pane kuti tivakezve dziviriro yedu.

Chimwe chinhu chakaramba chiri kwandiri chaiva apo baba vangu vane makore makumi matanhatu okukura vakati kwandiri, “Eya, ndinofara kuti handisati ndichizotongofanira kuona chinhu chakadai zvakare muupenyu hwangu.”

Ndakapindura kuti, “Handizivi nezvazvo baba.”

"Unofunga kudaro?"

"Ndinoziva zvakadaro."

(Zuva rechi6) Baba vangu neni takapinda mumvura kuti tisvike chiteshi chepeturu pakona yomugwagwa. Takakumbira kukwirwa nechikepe kudzokera kumba uye ndakatora chiono ichi chinoparadza.

Andrew Farias inhengo yekirasi ye2021 kuCarleton College, achangopedza kudzidza muWashington, 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