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Waves caused by Hurricane Earl crash against houses in Nova Scotia, Canada, in September.(The Canadian Press / Andrew Vaughan / AP Images)
Goodbye, Hurricane Season
One of the stormiest hurricane seasons on record ends with none hitting the U.S.
By Tyrus Cukavac | December 6 , 2010
This photo taken from space by a satellite shows what a hurricane looks like from above. The storm rotates around the center, called the eye.
(Ocean / Corbis)
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- Sunrise Over Fallujah
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Sunrise Over Fallujah
by Walter Dean Myers Operation Iraqi Freedom, that's the code name. But the young men and women in the military's Civil Affairs Battalion have a simpler name for it: WAR.
In this new novel, Walter Dean Myers looks at a contemporary war with the same power and searing insight he brought to the Vietnam war of his classic, "Fallen Angels". He creates memorable characters like the book's narrator, Birdy, a young recruit from Harlem who's questioning why he even enlisted; Marla, a blond, tough-talking, wisecracking gunner; Jonesy, a guitar-playing bluesman who just wants to make it back to Georgia and open a club; and a whole unit of other young men and women and drops them incountry in Iraq, where they are supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The young civil affairs soldiers soon find their definition of "winning" ever more elusive and their good intentions being replaced by terms like "survival" and "despair. "
Caught in the crossfire, Myers' richly rendered characters are just beginning to understand the meaning of war in this powerful, realistic novel of our times.
Learn more about Walter Dean Myers.
$17.99
books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 13 and Up
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- Can You Believe? Hurricanes
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Can You Believe? Hurricanes
Curious readers will find all the information, photos, trivia, and activities they can imagine to help them towards becoming an expert in this fascinating phenomenon of nature. They just won't BELIEVE what they'll find out in this fact-filled compendium of information!
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With the arrival of December, U.S. residents on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast can breathe a sigh of relief—the Atlantic hurricane season is over. Hurricane season officially starts each year on June 1 and ends on November 30.
Hurricanes are severe spinning storms with high-speed winds (at least 74 miles per hour) that form over the ocean. Most of these storms are created during hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean.Worldwide, this was the third-most-active hurricane season in recorded history. Twelve hurricanes formed in the Atlantic this year. But none reached land in the U.S.
Strong winds moved nearby hurricanes away from the U.S., pushing storms like Hurricane Alex south onto Central America and the Caribbean, and Hurricane Karl into Mexico. Hurricane Igor passed by the U.S. and instead roared against Canada in the north. Igor was one of the worst hurricanes to have hit Canada in over the past century.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Hurricanes have not directly hit the U.S. since 2005, when Hurricane Wilma caused 62 deaths. There were 28 named tropical storms in 2005—the highest number on record. That was the year in which Hurricane Katrina struck the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico—including Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana—causing devastating damage in the city of New Orleans and elsewhere.
The Gulf area has been struggling to recover in recent months from the oil spill that began last April when an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane in the region this year would have complicated ongoing cleanup efforts there.
Although many hurricanes hit Central America, Haiti was spared. Haiti is still suffering from a massive earthquake that shook the country last January, killing more than 200,000 people.
STORMY FORECAST
But the end of hurricane season doesn't mean the end of hazardous weather. Storms can crop up at any time. Some have already caused severe weather conditions in the Southeastern United States.
Now that the hurricane season is over, the U.S. space agency NASA is looking at information collected during Hurricane Karl. This research might reveal clues as to what drives the irregular patterns of hurricanes. That knowledge could help people lessen hurricane damage in the future.
Hurricane Katrina: One Year Later, from Junior Scholastic MagazineThe people of New Orleans face countless challenges. For instance, fewer than half the public schools in the city have reopened. Crime has skyrocketed. And many low-lying neighborhoods, which are still vulnerable to flooding, may never be rebuilt. But there are still signs of hope.
Hurricane Katrina
Thanks to the goodwill of young people like Arlen, residents in hurricane-stricken areas like Slidell are getting back on their feet. Still, one year later, many communities are still struggling to rebuild. America's youngest volunteers refuse to let them be forgotten.
Hurricane Katrina
Before Hurricane Katrina, 60,000 students attended New Orleans schools. Only about 30,000 of those students have returned. Only about 50 of the city's 125 schools will be open this year. Already, overcrowding is a problem.
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