Hurricane Rafael Makes Landfall in Cuba

Facts

• Category 3 Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba's western province of Artemisa on Wednesday.^[1][2]
• This follows Rafael's path through other parts of the Caribbean on Tuesday, leaving flash floods and knocking out electricity in Jamaica, as well as causing power outages and school closures in the Cayman Islands.^[3]
• Hurricane Rafael brought sustained winds of 115 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is predicting rainfall of four to eight inches in western Cuba on Thursday, with up to 12 inches in higher terrain.^[4]
• After Cuba, Rafael is projected to continue westward, with winds gradually slowing down to 100 mph Friday morning, 80 mph Saturday morning, and 60 mph Sunday morning.^[1][5]
• While the NHC hasn't said exactly when and how it will hit the US, it has issued a warning of up to three inches of rain and one- to three-foot storm surges in parts of Florida, with The Weather Channel warning of an increased risk of tornadoes in the Keys and southwestern Florida.^[3][6]
• Rafael, which is the 17th named storm of the season, may also hit the Texas coast or northeastern Mexico but is weakening due to changing wind directions, dry air, and cooler water.^[1][2][3][7]

Sources: ^[1]The Weather Channel, ^[2]CNN, ^[3]CBS, ^[4]NBC, ^[5]Independent, ^[6]Daily Mail and ^[7]Newsweek.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Washington Post and The Daily. Despite meteorologists warning about intensifying storms for decades, anti-science misinformation continues to spread — from encouraging people to ride out a storm to conspiracies about the government controlling the weather. What people should focus on is this simple truth: Burning fossil fuels leads to global warming, which causes warmer oceans, heavier rain, more powerful winds, and record-breaking storms.
• Narrative B, as provided by Breitbart. If people wish not to fear an imminent end to the world, it would behoove them to learn from a different perspective on this issue. This includes the fact that natural disaster deaths are a fraction of what they were a century ago, and property damage costs have fallen significantly over the last 30 years, all while more buildings are being built. Everyone would be better off if all the data was talked about rather than just the doom and gloom.
• Narrative C, as provided by Florida Health. While it's important to debate the issue of climate change, such issues should not supersede the value of on-the-ground disaster preparedness. Such precautions in places like Florida include maintaining properly enforced homes, drawing up evacuation plans, storing emergency food supplies, and checking the status of insurance policies. Hurricanes are a seasonal occurrence and must be accounted for every year.