East Coast Underwater

On September 13th, Hurricane Florence made landfall and caused massive structural damage to many homes and businesses in North and South Carolina. The storm has affected an estimated 500,000 homes, according to CBS. Florence has been responsible for an estimated 47 deaths across the state. After the sun came out, the waters were still flowing down streets like rivers, and more dangerous flooding caused people who never even saw the storm to have to evacuate. According to CBS News, firefighters in North Carolina have evacuated almost 1,000 homes because of the danger of flooding. With more than a month left in the hurricane season, hopefully it doesn’t get any worse than this.

Typhoon Mangkhut

Typhoon Mangkhut decimated parts of the Philippines, and made landfall in China on September 16th. There were at least 64 deaths after the storm tore through the Philippines, causing wave surges and terrifying landslides. The storm continued on to Hong Kong and 3 million people were evacuated, CNN writers reported. The storm uprooted trees, caused flooding, and even tore the roofs off of skyscrapers. Sixty-five-year-old Betty Tsang, who has lived in Hong Kong for the last 60 years said, “I will come back and live here… but I’m not sure how to start.” Her situation is not unique, as millions of others were affected by the storm, and thousands will need to rebuild.

South Sudan Hopeful for Peace

In South Sudan, President Salva Kiir and the leader of the main rebel group, Riek Machar, signed a cease-fire and power-sharing agreement this year. The hope is that this will end the bloody war that has been going on since 2013. According to the NY Times, the South Sudan Government and rebel leaders made a similar deal in 2015, but fighting broke out almost immediately after. Given this, it is no wonder that the U.S. and the U.N. are skeptical about whether this agreement will last. The war has displaced more than a quarter of South Sudan’s population of 12 million and most of the refugees are now staying in massive refugee camps in Uganda. “The journey was so hard,” said Kenyi, one of the 5,000 unaccompanied refugee children who are now in Uganda. “The sun was very hot and we had trouble finding food and water.” The current state of South Sudan is affecting millions, and is a true humanitarian crisis. Though many are doubtful that the peace will last, many more are hopeful that this power sharing agreement will work out so that reconstruction may begin.