Natural Disasters

The nations of Southern Africa are no strangers to drought. Historically, one in five years is a drought year in the region. But in recent decades, that number has risen to once every three or four years (The Guardian, November 14, 2024). Experts say the current drought is a once-in-a-century situation.

The Guardian reports, “Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor” (November 5, 2024). “As of November 19, 2024, 38.03% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 45.48% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor,” and this drought is impacting more than 140 million people (Drought.gov, November 19, 2024).

While forest fires rage on multiple continents, eastern Europe is being devastated by flooding. As one sixteen-year-old said after observing the devastation in the Polish town of Ladek Zdroj, “It’s a city like in an apocalypse.... It’s a ghost town” (Reuters, September 16, 2024).

Forest fires are burning around the globe. In the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada, thousands of acres are on fire. In Portugal, more than 100 fires are blazing (Associated Press, September 18, 2024).

For over a year, Haiti’s law enforcement system has been in shambles. Despite police assistance from Kenya and monetary and military hardware aid from the United States and the United Nations, the situation in Haiti is far from being under control (Reuters, September 3, 2024). The aid has been slow to arrive, leaving security forces struggling against gangs and losing hope.