Texas is in the grip of Hurricane Harvey and Cruise Ships are stuck in the Gulf of Mexico, unable to return to the Port of Galveston, which remains closed due to the hurricane. Harvey has been labeled as the worst natural disaster in a long time. President Donald Trump has signed a disaster proclamation from Camp David. Hurricane Harvey is the strongest one to hit the United States in 12 years with wind speeds of up to 130mph and rains of around 40 inches. The cost of damages could run into millions.

Hurricane Harvey plays spoilsport

Daily Mail UK reports that due to Hurricane Harvey and closure of the Port of Galveston, three cruise ships are stranded in the Gulf of Mexico with over 20,000 passengers on board.

Two of these ships, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Valor, will be diverted to New Orleans where passengers can disembark. However, considering the fury of the hurricane, they were advised against taking such decisions because the storm will make it difficult to travel back to Galveston on their own. Carnival has suggested that the passengers should not venture out of the ship.

The third ship affected by the hurricane is Carnival Breeze. The authorities have indicated that it will move out of Cozumel, Mexico and on to Galveston only on the weekend. Hopefully, the hurricane that has struck the United States would have become weak or blown over by then and it would be safe to travel.

Cruise ships of the Royal Caribbean International are also facing problems like Carnival.

A spokesman of Caribbean has informed that one of its ships, Liberty of the Seas, will return to Galveston only when it is safe to do so. Incidentally, Galveston is a major cruise embarkation port and handles more than 1.7 million passengers every year.

Is this a result of global warming?

Knowledgeable persons, who handle climate sciences, have predicted that global warming can lead to unnatural patterns of weather.

They have cautioned that, unless checked, it could give rise to floods, hurricanes, typhoons etcetera. Hurricane Harvey, that has struck Texas, could be an example of the possible consequences of what can happen when global warming is not assigned any priority.

The United States has withdrawn from the Paris accord on climate change and has left America more vulnerable to the effects of global warming. The hurricane has left a trail of destruction on land and has not spared tourists in cruise ships. Those in power must realize that climate change is very much real and cannot be wished away.
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