A few days ago, Hurricane Irma surprised the world by decimating the island nations of the Caribbean . Now, after the powerful storm has made landfall in the United States and the Bahamas, a terrible phenomenon has occurred that has left residents in disbelief and some in dread.
Tropical force winds have already left more than 2.6 million homes without electricity, but those winds began to blow towards the center of the storm and, what they have caused, is that they have moved the waters away from the beaches of Florida and Bahamas far from its shores. A rare phenomenon of meteorology.
According to the meteorological editor of the Washington Post newspaper, Angela Fritz, Irma’s low pressure is the cause, which acts as a “suction mechanism, that is, it sucks the air in, being able to change the shape of the ocean surface” by drag the water with its suction force.
What remains afterwards is a tremendously unusual scenario, but also worrying. The beaches have “dried up”, they have been left without sea because of these tropical winds.
When a shoreline recedes far enough to reveal the ocean floor, it is often a sign that the water will rush quickly with destructive momentum.
Irma’s environmental impact has been felt in both humans and animals. Two manatees had to be rescued after low tide left them trapped in the mud and unable to return to the ocean. They were completely immobile in the mud, waiting for various human charitable souls to take care of getting them out of the dangerous mess.
Videos posted on social media show people walking on the seabed that is normally under several feet of water. Now there is only dirt and mud.
Image credit: deejayeasya
