Alberto Urakana

2001/01/26 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Klima

Image of Hurricane Alberto by NASA's SEAWIFS satellite on August 11. Hurricanes are precious from the satellite, although we all know the damage they cause.

Each year, at the end of summer, the hurricane season begins. The Basque Country, fortunately, is not in the hurricane zone, but it is a terrible time for the population of the United States, Mexico and, above all, the least developed countries of the Caribbean. The massacre caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1999, for example, will not be forgotten for a long time in Central America.

Hurricanes are natural phenomena that cannot be avoided or prevented. Man cannot divert the hurricane. But it is not difficult to ensure that the consequences, especially death, and to some extent material damage, are not so serious, provided that the population is informed in advance and with the necessary time and security measures are correct. To do this, the first thing to do is to know where the hurricane occurs, how it moves and how it behaves, keep track of it and predict its trajectory and evolution. Many meteorologists and scientists work on it.