Hurricanes wreak havoc for residents with ties to Oshkosh area

Category 4 Hurricane Helene made landfall in Perry, Florida on September 26, leaving an estimated 230 dead and 1,412 recorded missing. The impact was devastating as homes and businesses were destroyed and communities left to face dangerous flooding. Cities were barely recovering when Hurricane Milton hit overnight on October 9. Winds peaked at 180 miles per hour, but died down to 120 mph when the storm made landfall in Siesta Key. Milton was recorded as a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, but landed as a Category 3. While Milton did not have the expected impact, it still had a major effect on civilians like Oshkosh resident Jill Malcolm and her mother, Kay Canipe, who live in an area affected by the storms.

“My mom was evacuated from western North Carolina after Helene,” said Malcolm. “Then Milton hit her winter home in Florida and did damage, but she is safe here with me in Wisconsin now.” 

Like many others trying to communicate with family and friends impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Malcolm got very few updates from her mother during and in the aftermath of the storm.

 “It was hard not knowing if she was okay,” she said. “There was little communication coming from western North Carolina after Helene hit. I didn’t hear from her for four days, then got word she was okay and being cared for by her cousins and neighbors. I finally heard her voice when they brought a Starlink to her home and we cried and were so grateful she was alright. I told her then we were on our way to get her.”

Malcolm and other family members were anxious to evacuate Canipe after the storm hit, driving from multiple states and navigating damaged communities to reach her mother.

“She’s 85-years-old and has health issues, so I knew it was time to get her out,” she said. “When friends told us they were able to get around the washed out bridges and mudslides, I knew there was a way to get her.”

With the deeply appreciated support of family and community members, Malcolm was able to reunite with her mother. 

“It was a relief to get that first hug from her,” she said. “I was so grateful to our family evacuation team of my sister and her daughter and husband. They took a four wheel drive truck in and supplies like water, food, gas and cash to give to our family and neighbors.”

Malcolm explained that, while Canipe was physically unharmed, the hurricane was still taking a toll on her mental health. 

“Mom is doing okay physically, but having a hard time emotionally dealing with surviving the storm when so much in her community was lost,” she said. “She was born there in Burnsville on her family tobacco farm, then returned there after retirement and built a log home right on that same land. She is very connected and invested in western North Carolina. That’s her roots.” 

Hundreds of lives were lost due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including those close to Malcolm and Canipe. 

“She has shed a lot of tears,” she said. “Sadly, we just found out her neighbor and cousin passed away yesterday. She was Mom’s age. It’s so hard losing friends and family.”

There were four major hurricanes this year, with three making landfall. West environmental science teacher John Reiland explained that climate change, whilst not being the only reason for the increase in hurricane frequency and intensity, is still having major effects. This phenomenon is driven by the accumulation of insulatory greenhouse gasses in earth’s atmosphere. 

“You can look at parts per million of carbon dioxide in the air and it has increased incredibly,” he said. “But how can they tell how much carbon dioxide was in the air  200, 300, 400 years ago? They can look and see how much gas is dissolved in sea ice. If we look at it, the amount of carbon dioxide has been increasing tremendously.”

Reiland explained that increased amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide traps solar energy, which can have major effects on the earth’s weather patterns.

 “It’s warming up this extra layer, it’s like putting on extra clothes,” he said. “Now this energy hits here and it’s not escaping. It’s going into the oceans, so we’re making more warm water and we’re having more heating and way more energy.”

Warm, energy-filled ocean waters make hurricanes develop more quickly and become more severe. This can help to explain why recent hurricane seasons have been abnormally active, and why storms like Helene and Milton may become more common.

“Can I say that climate change is causing more severe weather? No,” Reiland said. “In science, we don’t deal with absolutes. We deal with probabilities on everything. But to say it’s not having an effect on it would be hard for me to believe.”

by Adele Faust

Published November 4th, 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue II