I-Hurricane Harvey: Izikhukula eziPhezulu, Amanzi asezantsi

"Uvelaphi?"

"EHouston, eTexas."

"Oh ukulunga kwam. Ndiyaxolisa kakhulu. Injani intsapho yakho?”

"Kulungile. Konke kulungile oko kuphetha kakuhle. "

Njengomthonyama waseHouston obize ikhaya laseHouston bonke ubomi bam (obufutshane), ndiphile ngoAllison, uRita, uKatrina, uIke, kwaye ngoku uHarvey. Ukusuka kwikhaya lethu elikwintshona yeHouston, asiqhelananga nezikhukula. Ngokuqhelekileyo, indawo esihlala kuyo izikhukhula kanye ngonyaka malunga nosuku, amaxesha amaninzi kwenzeka ngexesha lentwasahlobo.

Ummelwane ukhwele iphenyane ngexesha loSuku lweRhafu lokukhukula ngaphandle kwendlu yethu nge-18 ka-Epreli 2016.

Kwaye okwangoku, akukho mntu wabona kwangaphambili iNkanyamba uHarvey ibetha ngamandla njengoko yenzayo. Uninzi lwentshabalalo eyashiywa nguHarvey eTexas yayincinci malunga nenkanyamba yokwenyani, kwaye ngaphezulu malunga nezandyondyo zemvula eza nayo. Esi saqhwithi sihamba kancinci sahlala phezu kweHouston kangangeentsuku ezininzi, siwisa amanzi amaninzi kangangexesha elide. Iimvula eziye zaphumela ekubeni zikhukulise isixeko sesine ngobukhulu e-US kunye namazwe angabamelwane nge-33 yeetriliyoni zeelitha zamanzi.¹ Ekugqibeleni, uninzi lwala manzi lwafumana indlela yokubuyela apho lwaluvela khona, elwandle.² Noko ke, bahamba nezixa ezikhulu zezinto ezingcolisa umoya, kuquka imichiza evela kwiindawo zokuhluza ezikhukuliswe ngamanzi, iintsholongwane ezinetyhefu nobutyobo obushiywe ezitratweni.³

NgokweNkonzo yeMozulu yeSizwe, icala lam ledolophu lifumene phakathi kwee-intshi ezingama-30 ukuya kwezingama-40 zemvula. ¹⁰

Imigxobhozo eselunxwemeni yeGulf ibisoloko iyindlela yethu yokuqala yokuzikhusela kwizaqhwithi ezithintelayo, kodwa sizibeka, kunye nathi, emngciphekweni xa sisilela ukuzikhusela.⁴ Umzekelo, sisenokungaphumeleli ekukhuseleni le migxobhozo eselunxwemeni, kwaye endaweni yoko siyishiye ukuba ichithwe ngeenzame zokuvula indlela yokuseka amaziko anokubonakala enenzuzo ngakumbi kunokushiya imigxobhozo apho ukuze ikhuseleke kwisivunguvungu sexesha elizayo. Ngokunjalo, imigxobhozo esempilweni engaselunxwemeni ikwahluza amanzi aphuma emhlabeni, enciphisa ingozi elwandle.

Amanzi angasentla aqukuqela kwiGulf of Mexico. ¹¹

Inkqubo yokhuselo lonxweme ingonakaliswa zezinye izinto eziyonakalisayo zokusingqongileyo, njengeemvula zamanzi acwengileyo ezivela kwiNkanyamba iHarvey. Amanzi emvula aqukuqela ezantsi ukusuka kwintlambo yaseHouston ukuya kutsho kwiGulf of Mexico, njengoko kwenza isibini kwisithathu samanzi acocekileyo aseUnited States.⁵ Nangoku, amanzi acwengileyo awiswe nguHarvey akakadibani ngokupheleleyo namanzi anetyuwa eGulf.⁶ Ngethamsanqa, ngaphandle kwexabiso eliphantsi letyuwa ebhalwe kwi-Gulf ngenxa yolu “blob lwamanzi acwengileyo,” akukhange kubekho ngxelo yokufa kwabantu abaninzi ecaleni kwe-coral reef, ubukhulu becala ngenxa yendlela apho la manzi aqukuqela kude kule mixokomelwano yendalo. Kubekho amaxwebhu amancinci malunga nokuba yeyiphi i-toxins entsha enokufunyanwa kwiindawo ezikufutshane nonxweme kunye nemigxobhozo, eshiywe ngasemva njengoko amanzi okhukula awela kwi-Gulf.

Iintlenga ezivela kwiNkanyamba uHarvey.¹²

Lilonke, iHouston yaba nezikhukula ngenxa yokuba eso sixeko sakhiwe kwindawo ethe tyaba. Ngokuhamba kwexesha, ukwanda kokufudukela kwabantu ezidolophini kunye nokungabikho kwekhowudi yezowuni kwandisa ngakumbi umngcipheko wethu wezikhukhula njengoko iindlela ezigangathiweyo ezigangathiweyo zithatha indawo yengca ngaphandle kokuqwalaselwa kweziphumo zokungalawuleki kokwanda kwedolophu.⁷ Ngokomzekelo, ekumgama oziikhilomitha ezimbalwa ukusuka eAddicks naseBarker Reservoirs, ummandla wethu wajamelana nezikhukula kangangexesha elide ngenxa yokuba umsinga wamanzi wahlala umile. Ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuba idolophu yaseHouston ayizange ikhukulise, amagosa akhetha ngamabomu ukukhulula amasango alawula amadama, nto leyo eyakhokelela kwizikhukula zezindlu ezazingalindelwanga ngaphambili ukuba zikhukulise eWest Houston.⁸ Izinto ze-Hardscape ezifana ne-asphalt kunye nekhonkrithi zivame ukuphalaza amanzi kunokuba ziwafunxe, ngoko ke amanzi aqokelelana ezitratweni kwaye kamva afumana indlela yawo kwiGulf of Mexico.

(Usuku lwesi-4) Ilori yommelwane, enye efikelela kwisigidi eyayikhukulisekile kweso sixeko. ¹³

Ngelo xesha, sachitha ixesha elingaphezu kweveki sivalelwe endlwini. I-Coast Guard kunye namavolontiya abaqhubi beenqanawa babedla ngokudlula kwaye babuze ukuba sifuna ukuhlangulwa okanye amalungiselelo ngexesha lokuhlala kwethu ngaphakathi. Abanye abamelwane baphuma baya kwingca yabo engaphambili baza baxhoma amalaphu amhlophe emithini yabo njengomqondiso wokuba bafuna ukuhlangulwa. Athi akuwutha amanzi ngomhla weshumi walo nyaka we-1,000 lesehlo sonogumbe⁹ yaye ekugqibeleni sakwazi ukuhamba ngaphandle ngaphandle kokuhamba emanzini, umonakalo wawumangalisa. Ivumba elibi lelindle lalikuyo yonke indawo yaye inkunkuma yayisasazeke kwindlela yabahambi ngeenyawo. Iintlanzi ezifileyo zazilele kwizitrato zekonkile kwaye iimoto ezilahliweyo zazingqengqe ezindleleni.

(Usuku lwesi-5) Sasisebenzisa intonga ukuze siphawule indlela amanzi ayenyuka ngayo.

Ngosuku olusemva kokuba sikhululekile ukuba sizulazule ngaphandle, mna nosapho lwam sasicwangciselwe ukubhabha siphume siye eMinnesota kwiVeki eNtsha yaBafundi kwiKholeji yaseCarleton. Njengoko sasibhabha kumawaka eenyawo esibhakabhakeni, andizange ndikwazi ukuzibamba kodwa ndicinga ukuba sasingomnye wabo babenethamsanqa. Ikhaya lethu lalomileyo kwaye ubomi bethu babungekho emngciphekweni. Noko ke, andazi ukuba siya kuba nethamsanqa elingakanani kwixesha elizayo xa amagosa esixeko egqiba kwelokuba kulula ukukhukulisa indawo esihlala kuyo kunokuba siphinde sakhe ukhuseleko.

Enye into eyandichukumisayo kuxa utata wam oneminyaka engamashumi amathandathu ubudala wathi kum, “Ewe, ndiyavuya ukuba andisayi kuphinda ndiyibone into enje ebomini bam.”

Ndaphendula ndathi, “Andiyazi loo nto, Tata.”

"Ucinga njalo?"

"Ndiyazi njalo."

(Ngosuku lwesi-6) Mna notata sahamba emanzini saya kufika kwisikhululo sokutha ipetroli esikwikona yesitrato. Sacela ukukhwela isikhephe ukubuyela ekhaya yaye ndawuthabatha lo mbono mhle ukhwankqisayo.

U-Andrew Farias ulilungu leklasi ka-2021 kwiKholeji yaseCarleton, osanda kugqiba i-internship eWashington, 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