The onset of hurricane season has begun, causing parts of Florida to experience the fatal effects that travel up the East Coast.
Many residents were forced to evacuate from areas in Florida, including Ally Moraca, a 2024 graduate of Penn-Trafford High School. She currently attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, located in Daytona Beach.
“The school made us leave campus for the time that the storm was going to be affecting the area, and everyone was eventually able to return,” Moraca said.
Donations benefiting those affected by hurricanes, especially Helene and Milton, were collected at the P-T and Franklin Regional football game this October; collection bins were placed at the entrance to gather essential items such as cleaning supplies, food, clothing and hygiene items.
Eric Reger, a P-T science teacher who minored in meteorology, explained the causes of hurricanes.
“Their purpose as far as the science perspective is to dissipate extra energy,” Reger stated.
Hurricanes typically originate near the equator, where energy concentration is the highest, and then break outwards depending on their point of formation
“Hurricanes take the energy and move either north or south depending on whether they’re formed above or below the equator,” Reger said. “When these hurricanes are headed up north, they often hit Florida first, then travel east coast.”
Hurricane Helene and Milton gained strength due to an abundance of energy, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, where water temperatures were several degrees above average.
“The water temperatures in the Gulf were multiple degrees above the average, so there was a lot of energy going into the storms,” Reger said.
Biology teacher and former environmental science teacher Dave Babik explained the impact of global warming, which increases water temperatures and causes an upwelling of hot air.
“As the oceans get warmer, that will make hurricanes more frequent and powerful,” Babik stated.
Annabelle Aquino, Managing Editor and Cam Duddy, Staff Writer