Deborah Levine
DL Opinion columns

The hurricane of stupidity – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

I was surprised to see the Times Free Press article: “Bermuda prepares for hits by hurricanes Humberto, Imelda”. I grew up on the island of Bermuda and preparing for hurricanes at this time of year was the norm. But American newspapers don’t often talk about how Bermuda withstands these storms: “Bermuda is a wealthy British territory with strong concrete structures capable of withstanding serious storms.”

In reality, wealth had little to do with the island’s design for withstanding storms which went beyond family preparations for loss of electricity, water, and ability to flush the toilet. And it went way beyond the use of concrete structures. For centuries, Bermuda’s homes and roads were built away from ocean banks and avoided flooding and destruction. Compare that to news reports of 5 homes lost to Hurricane Humberto in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and more homes lost soon after because of Hurricane Imelda.

Bermuda’s newspaper, The Royal Gazette, described island preparations, using Hurricane Humberto as a dress rehearsal for the more severe storm, Hurricane Imelda. “Bermuda is beginning to “…batten down the hatches…” The Minister of National Security, the Hon. Michael Weeks, JP, MP, offered the following, “We are a resilient people. Bermuda has weathered many storms, and we will weather this one too. Let our strength be in our unity, our safety in our preparation, and our hope in the calm that always follows the storm.” The island took action and closed down schools, the airport, roads, public transportation, government buildings and beaches. 

North Carolina also declared a state of emergency, but it largely consisted of post-crisis actions: deploying water rescue teams, National Guard and law enforcement in case of dangerous flooding. Families were left to do actual preparations like forming emergency plans, assembling emergency supply kits, and paying attention to weather alerts. But none of that prevented homes from falling into the ocean and I bet they hope to rebuild on that shore where houses were swept away. 

There is huge passion for having homes at the shore line despite rising oceans, huge waves coming onto shore, mud slides or flooding from torrents of rain. I was recently asked why would people do this. ‘Stupidity!’  That’s the only answer I could up with. 

This trend can be seen even in Bermuda despite climate change increasing the intensity of storms, raising sea levels and eroding the sand and cliffs on the shore line. But while Trump’s administration is disbanding and silencing agencies dealing with climate change, Bermuda’s government has established a Climate Change Task Force to develop a detailed action plan. The island’s plan includes a climate change awareness campaign to foster understanding within the community. And the plan is noteworthy for how it advocates strengthening vulnerable infrastructure, relocating high-risk assets and amending building codes for climate resilience.

The Bermuda government explains quite bluntly its rationale: “… let us acknowledge that climate change is the defining issue of our time. It affects not only our economy and infrastructure, but also the landscapes and ecosystems that make Bermuda the cherished home it is. By acting now, we can build a more resilient Bermuda, safeguarding our natural beauty, heritage, and future.” 

It’s time to pay attention like Bermuda does. We must fight back against the current purging of climate change-related work which Defense Secretary Hegseth calls, “climate change crap.” Further, without structural changes to building codes more homes will drop into the ocean. Removal of alternate energy funding, dropping pollution standards, and limiting climate change information comes under the heading of “Stupidity”. Fight back, or watch the destruction of our ‘natural beauty, heritage, and future’. 

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