It always worth stating that the major causes of death in hurricanes are the storm surge and flooding due to high rainfall, not wind speed. Will there be more hurricanes with global warming – it seems inevitable, with hurricanes forming when sea temperatures are over 26C to a depth of 40m ( and being 5 degrees north or south of the equator (although it seems they could pass over the equator??).
If one of the big hurricanes hits the Caribbean Islands, will our aid budget come to the rescue?
Which leads to some questions for historians, geographers and humanitarians. There is no doubt that the UK made billions (todays money) from the slave trade and slaves on plantations. How much did this contribute to the industrial revolution? Not just the products, but the capital wealth generated, that was invested in further industry. Was the slave trade the trigger for the industrial revolution in Europe, especially the UK?