ANATOMY OF A HURRICANE 56-57

WHAT KATRINA TOOK AWAY 58-59

FORESIGHT TO PREVENT TRAGEDIES 60-61

Meteorological

Phenomena

WHEN WATER ACCUMULATES 48-49

WATER SCARCITY 50-51

LETHAL FORCE 52-53

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION 54-55

CAPRICIOUS FORMS 38-39

THE RAIN ANNOUNCES ITS COMING40-43

LOST IN THE FOG 44-45

BRIEF FLASH 46-47

HURRICANE ALERT

This image of Hurricane Elena, captured

by the Space Shuttle on September 1,

1985, allowed meteorologists to

evaluate its scope before it reached the

Gulf of Mexico.

T

ropical cyclones (called

hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones

in different parts of the world)

cause serious problems and often

destroy everything in their path.

They uproot trees, damage buildings,

devastate land under cultivation, and

cause deaths. The Gulf of Mexico is one

of the areas of the planet continually

affected by hurricanes. For this reason,

the government authorities organize

preparedness exercises so that the

population knows what to do. To

understand how hurricanes function

and improve forecasts, investigators

require detailed information from the heart

of the storm. The use of artificial satellites

that send clear pictures has contributed

greatly to detecting and tracking strong

winds, preventing many disasters.