Controlling Hurricanes?

Phil Shapiro writes "With the cost of hurricane Katrina running as high as $100 billion, the thought of trying to control the severity of hurricanes should be mulled. Dissipating the energy of hurricanes as they're forming might be within the range of the feasible. Scientific American tackles this topic in an article last year, as does this crank. (I admit the crank is me.) Is this type of thing feasible, or is it best not even tried at all?"

Comments

Re:Global Impact

[Ka D'Argo]

We have to try something.

Granted mankind has been here on earth a few thousand years, and we've been through just about every natural disaster the planet has thrown at us, but as time goes on it gets worse.

Every year it's hotter in the summer, colder in the winter, and the storms are stronger. Yea global warming and whatnot plays a part in that, but at the same time, it's getting to the point where it's too much. Even if America had the funds to "easily" recoup from something like Katrina, the manpower and time needed would be insane. Thousands, apon thousands, of homes and businesses needing rebuilding. Food, clothing and temporary lodging for those without.

And this was just one average sized state. What happens when a Hurricane hits the East Coast with enough force to path it's way north to a major city like D.C. or New York and [b]completely[/b] level it?

Our "current" systems of fighting a hurricane are far inadequate. By the time we detect them, we then have to monitor them to see if they will have a "projected" path inland, and what force it may bring. In that time, could be days, could be a week or more, you have a population in the areas, that is tittering back in forth between preparing or not preparing. Since we can't always predict their pattern, path, or length, we never know. And even when we do, such as Katrinas case (one of the more up-to-date "oh shit something is coming" storm watches), what does it mean to "prepare"?

You can't prepare. Preparing for a hurricane, is getting as far West as you can, preferably as far North-West. Sure you can attempt the tried-and-true method of stocking up on bottled water, food and hoping to "ride it out" but that only works when ya know, it doesn't rip your fucking house off the ground with you in it.

The worst part? Hurricane season just started last month for the East coast. This was the first hurricane of the year, if we're lucky it'll be the only major one. You'd think one would be a disaster right, what the fuck do you call a potential [b]season[/b] of storms that might be that strong? A minor inconvience?

We need to seriously dump some national budget and tax money not only into recovery from such events, but also into research into either much better warning systems or as the article says: preventing them. There has to be a way to physically stop this things.

A storm or pretty much any natural event like this, is sparked from some sort of catalyst or series of. If theres a means to create, theres a means to stop. It may not seem practical or even within our grasp at moments notice, but if you boil it down to what starts it, theres going to be something to end it.

When you think about it, in the simplist terms, it's like "duh". I mean, we as a race, have to a degree harnessed the power of the atom, broken the sound barrier and began space exploration. Stoping a large ball of air, water and electricity should be within our abilities. I mean we've got a fucking space station for christ sakes..(don't get me started on our technological slowness, we are far behind the curve if you ask me)

Maybe if we as a planet, stopped fighting each other for five minutes, we could accomplish something like this. I mean, with Katrina, look at how many third-world countries offered help to America. Many of which we have turned our backs to in the past. If some of us can show that level of compassion, imagine what we could do unifed as a people with a common goal..

This is the suckiest grouping of letters ever.

[koonat]

I've read Slashdot for a couple years now and never had an account. Your ideas to [stop,prevent,weaken] hurricanes are so horrible that I had to sign up. Seriously, I would rather have read about a new AOL disc being released. Or, some other lame thing. I cannot stress enough how awful this is. Seriously. Even 1995 you should have known better. Even if you were only 10... and educated by treegod worshippers. I don't think we should try to control nature, in general. I think we should lessen hurricanes through architecture. Now, if someone did have a way to just stop hurricanes, that would be great! Your ideas are just retarded.

The real solution

[JustNiz]

Until the US president stops Americans polluting the atmosphere so badly, these localised side-effects of global warming will only get worse for all of us.

Its not gonna happen with Bush though, as he has such strong personal ties with the oil industry.

Of course we can control them!

[n6kuy]

Why do you think Katrina was so successful in destroying New Orleans? It was a secret military project, and George Bush ordered it.