Between 1944 and 1980 that average jumped to six per year. Last year 13 Hurricanes formed including Mitch, one of the most devastating in history. This year another 13 Hurricanes are predicted and eight have already formed, including Floyd, which may prove to be the most damaging in US nation's history. Island nations are exceedingly vulnerable to these storms, Hurst says. Vegetation disappears after on of these storms.
Every single leaf disappears from every tree.
It looks like a war waged by nature after a hurricane. The coral reefs feed the islands. The reefs are important to island economies for recreation, and food as well as being an important ecosystem that balances nature's movements. Coral reefs are especially vulnerable to damage by global warming. As ocean waters warm by just one degree, coral reefs die off an alarming rate.