Hurricane Ian left the west coast of Florida in ruins. Houses, properties and lives were left deserted and destroyed. The hurricane swept through with great power and caught Florida residents extremely underprepared. As these storms continue to devastate, ignoring the impact of climate change is nearly impossible. 

Hurricane Ian approached the west coast of Florida as a category 4, on the cusp of being a category 5. We were aware of the strength of this storm, but why were we so caught off guard by its impact? 

Labeling Hurricane Ian as a “bad storm” is an egregious understatement. This hurricane is a clear example of how climate change is affecting our world. One factor that played a major role in the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian is the rising water temperatures, one of the effects of climate change. Hurricane Ian became increasingly more powerful as it traveled over the Caribbean waters, which are currently 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual. The warmer water temperature allows the storms to grow stronger and release more intense wind speeds and waves. 

As each storm we face causes more damage in its wake, it is becoming much harder to turn a blind eye to the effects of climate change. A study conducted by a professor at Stony Brook University found that Hurricane Ian was 10% wetter due to climate change and the effects of greenhouse gasses trapping heat and increasing ocean temperatures. Scientists are predicting that we will continue to see more intense storms like Hurricane Ian due to climate change. 

Though climate change played a large role in this ruinous hurricane, some may conclude that the delayed response from the government is also to blame. A few days before Hurricane Ian arrived on the coast of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis called for an immediate shelter in place because it was no longer an option to safely evacuate. DeSantis waited too long to make a decision and had pushed off reacting to the warnings from the National Weather Service. As a result of his inaction, the death toll is now more than 120 people in Florida alone, due in part to poor preparation. 

As Floridians try to piece their lives back together, the scary thought that this could become a frequent occurrence continues to creep into many people’s minds. It is crucial for us to be more prepared for future storms, especially considering climate change will only continue to have these effects. 

As sad as it is, it is time to start preparing for the worst in order to prevent our lives being turned upside down by worsening storms. Surely climate change will continue to influence our weather moving forward and we need to adjust our preparation measures and strategies accordingly. 

Hurricane preparation has become a matter of life and death. How much longer can we continue to ignore the problem of climate change, especially since it is becoming more apparent with each new storm?

Moving forward, we would be fools to not adjust our approach to hurricane season in the future. 

Climate change is going to continue to play a major role in our lives whether we like it or not. We can either sit back and let it destroy our homes and lives or we can start to prepare better. 

Eden Cottone, FCRH ’26, is a journalism major from Wilmington, Del.