Incidents of hurricanes are increasing in the United States. Residents of Louisiana were yet to recover from Hurricane Laura's lashing when they had to save themselves from the wrath of Hurricane Delta. This latest climatic disturbance came within six weeks of Hurricane Laura, and the debris was visible on the streets. The regions of Louisiana and neighboring Texas had to deal with extensive power outages due to the hurricane. In such a situation, Renewable Energy can play a major role in ensuring essential services continuity.

Daily Mail UK says Hurricane Delta is the 25th named storm of an unprecedented Atlantic hurricane season.

Mayor Nic Hunter of Lake Charles, Louisiana, mentioned tarpaulins flying away due to the winds. A mobile home had flipped over and was blocking the road. Delta had landed near the coastal town of Creole with a wind speed of around 100 mph. It was not far from where Laura struck in August and left 27 people dead in Louisiana. There were warnings of a flash flood in not just Louisiana but also parts of neighboring Texas. Such floods are common when high-speed winds combine with rainfall and wash away the topsoil. This accumulates on the ground, leads to blockage of roads and consequent disruption of road traffic.

Hurricanes disturb the lives of the people

When a hurricane strikes, the lives of people in the area are thrown into disarray.

Homes suffer damages, debris blocks the roads, uprooted trees bring down power lines, and the situation is chaotic. There is a breakdown in communication lines and affects travel by road. At times, the authorities ask people to evacuate and arrange to shift residents to safer locations, if necessary. In short, infrastructure takes a heavy beating when a hurricane strikes.

Restoring the infrastructure is a long drawn process and involves funds. Daily Mail UK describes the reach of Hurricane Delta. It struck Louisiana but stretched to Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles.

Oil production shut down because of Hurricane Delta

As Hurricane Delta battered the Gulf Coast, several oil rigs and platforms closed down.

That brought the oil industry in the area to a standstill. Daily Mail UK adds the shutdown meant a substantial drop in the production of natural gas. Once the situation becomes normal, there will be an inspection of facilities to examine resuming production possibilities. The area had been in the grip of Hurricane Laura six weeks earlier. At a news conference, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards informed about thousands of residents' evacuation to emergency shelters. Donald Trump indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be extending support to residents in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Warnings of flash flood issued due to Hurricane Delta

According to CNN, the authorities have issued flash flood warnings across the lower Mississippi River Valley after Hurricane Delta struck.

This could affect the upward of 5 million people in the region. Delta precipitated nearly 12 inches of rain in Louisiana, and its powerful winds played havoc with the people who had faced Hurricane Laura a few weeks ago. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter told a section of the media – "We're all tired. The sun will come out again. As we're in the thick of this right now, the main concern is human safety and human life." Incidentally, Hurricane Delta first struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico before arriving at the US coast with wind speeds of around 100 mph. Delta created a record when it became the 10th named storm to make landfall this year. The previous record was of nine landfalls in 1916. Given the increasing frequency of such climatic disturbances and associated power failures, there is a need to promote renewable energy.
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