It is not unusual for a hurricane to have the same name as a person since there are male and female names assigned to hurricanes. However, it is worth noting if a husband and wife have the same names of two devastating hurricanes that happened around the same time.

Harvey and his wife Irma live in Spokane, Washington. When they heard the names of the two back-to-back hurricanes bearing their names, they couldn't believe it. Irma can also be spelled Erma, but Harvey's wife name is spelled just like the hurricane.

Unlike, the hurricanes that caused so much damage to property and some deaths, the relationship between Harvey and Irma Schluter has been far from stormy during their 75-year marriage.

Harvey and Irma have been married since 1942. Even though they have two children and grandchildren of their own, they fostered more than 120 children over the years. Many of them were physically or developmentally disabled. When asked about the secret to their long marriage, they both said they simply enjoy each other.

Harvey and Irma

The couple said they have experienced many things during their long marriage, but they have never shared their names with two historic storms before. Irma, 92, said when her children told her about the names of the hurricanes, she thought they were joking. When 104-year-old Harvey found out his children were telling the truth, he just shook his head.

The couple is far away from the hurricanes that bear their names, but they say they are praying for the people in the path of the storms.

Names will retire

According to the World Meteorological Organization, when a hurricane is costly and deadly, the name will be retired. No doubt the names of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma will be retired because that's the rule for hurricanes that cause severe damage or kill and injure many people. Surely both hurricanes meet the requirement for their names not to be used again.

Hurricane Harvey was formed on August 17 and dissipated on September 2, 2017, affecting Houston, Texas and the surrounding areas. Over a four-day period, the storm left up to 52 inches of water that caused flooding that would have kept Niagara Falls flowing for 15 days. The floods destroyed thousands of homes and displaced more than 30,000 people.

Harvey caused at least 70 confirmed deaths in the United States and one in Guyana.

As of today, people have been advised to leave Miami, Florida because of the threat of Hurricane Irma that is expected to be more damaging than the one that hit Houston, Texas just a few days ago.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED