User:JoelRode/sandbox

Wow!
=== This is just a test!!! Also I need to try this recipe for Romanian Cheese Pies. === The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

It's foggy outside and I can hear birds singing outside my window. What a lovely morning! I hope I can find time to enjoy this wonderful day.

The destruction of coastal landscapes exacerbates the damage done by this increase in storms. Wetlands, forests, and mangroves have been removed for land development. These features usually slow runoff, storm surges, and prevent debris from being carried by flooding. Developing over these areas has increased the destructive power of floods and makes homeowners more susceptible to extreme weather events. In some areas, such as coastal properties, real estate prices go up because of ocean access and housing scarcity, in part caused by homes being destroyed during storms. Wealthy homeowners have more resources to rebuild their homes and have better job security, which encourages them to stay in their communities following extreme weather events. Highly unstable areas, such as slopes and delta regions, are sold to lower-income families at a cheaper price point. Impoverished people have a difficult time finding or maintaining a job and rebuilding their homes after extreme weather events. These challenges force many to relocate in search of job opportunities and housing.

Heat waves affect communities that live in traditionally cooler areas because many of the homes are not equipped with air conditioning units. Rising sea levels can be devastating for poor countries situated near the ocean and in delta regions, which experience increasingly overwhelming storm damage. In parts of eastern Caribbean nations, almost 60 percent of the homes were constructed without any building regulations. Many of these endangered populations are also affected by an increase in flooding in locations that lack adequate drainage. In 1998, close to 200 million people were affected by flooding in China’s Yangtze River Valley; and in 2010, flooding in Pakistan affected 20 million people. These issues are made worse for people living in poverty and force them to relocate at a higher rate than other economic groups.

An example of this is shown by comparing outcomes between Bangladesh and The United States following two severe storms. In the United States, Hurricane Andrew killed 23 people when it made landfall in 1992; however, one year before, in Bangladesh, a tropical cyclone killed approximately 100,000 people. Bangladesh, having a poorer population, was less prepared for the storm; and the country lacked sufficient weather forecasting systems needed to predict meteorological events. After the storm, Bangladesh needed to receive assistance from the international community because it didn’t possess the funds needed to recover. As events like these become more common, a more proactive approach is needed.