Presenters:
Hunter Hong
University of Southern California
Tropical cyclones are among the most destructive natural hazards, threatening lives, infrastructure, and economies worldwide. Climate change exacerbates their frequency and intensity, amplifying the risks they pose to communities, livelihoods, and ecosystems. This escalation highlights the urgent need for improved public awareness, preparedness, and mitigation strategies. This StoryMap presentation examines four significant tropical cyclones from 2024—Oscar, Helene, John, and Milton—organized using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Each cyclone is analyzed for its intensity, impacts, and the challenges encountered during emergency management and response efforts. Using data from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and NOAA’s tropical cyclone best track archive, the map visualizes storm tracks, positions, and wind swaths. The analysis underscores the critical role of geospatial technology—satellite imagery, predictive modeling, and real-time mapping—in forecasting storm behavior and guiding response strategies. These tools demonstrate their effectiveness in disaster preparedness, resource allocation, and recovery, while also highlighting the need to expand public access to geospatial data to enhance community resilience. By illustrating the integration of geospatial sciences into disaster management, this work contributes to public understanding of extreme weather events and reinforces their relevance in mitigating climate-induced threats to human security.
