Hurricane Edith
| Category 5 hurricane | |
|---|---|
 Edith at peak strength over Lower Aseu on September 3rd. | |
| Formed | August 29, 2023 |
| Dissipated | September 6, 2023 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 295 km/h (185 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 919 hPa (mbar); 27.14 inHg |
| Fatalities | 788 |
| Areas affected | Lower Aseu, Marivista, Janapa, Ossinia Southwestern Zamastan |
Hurricane Edith was a extremely destructive and deadly Cantalle hurricane which formed on August 29th, 2023, and dissipated on September 6th, 2023. It was the fifth named storm and second hurricane of the 2023 hurricane season. Edith originated from a vigorous tropical wave off the coast of Adula that was first identified by ZOAC on August 29th, 2023. The tropical wave gradually became more organized and obtained gale-force winds on August 30th before organizing into Tropical Storm Edith. On the 31st, Edith strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, reaching an initial peak of 85 mph (137 km/h), with a minimum central pressure of 987 mbar (hPa; 29.15 inHg). It rapidly intensified, gaining Category 2 strength on September 1st around noon, Category 3 by the early morning of September 2nd, and it became a Category 4 with 145 mph (230 km/h) winds by its landfall in Marivista around noon that day. On September 3rd as it barreled across the Ossinia Sea, Edith became a Category 5 and peaked at 185 mph (295 km/h), making it the third-most powerful hurricane ever observed in the Cantalle Ocean after Elnora (1999) and Janae (2011). On September 4th around noon, Edith made landfall in Zamastan just west of Svalberg, Verdesia, weakening to a Category 4 and lashing the coastal areas with high winds, rain, and storm surges. Edith then continued northwest until it dissipated into a tropical depression over Lake Greening by nightfall on September 5th.
Edith caused catastrophic damage and high casualties in Lower Aseu and Marivista, which took the brunt of the storm, as well as considerable damage in Janapa and Ossinia, which were on the outer bands of the storm's path. Meteorologists in Zamastan predicted the storm would head more northward than it ended up coursing, leading the province of Verdesia to be largely unprepared for the storm. Criticism was heavily levied against the governments of the affected nations for the disasters which resulted from the storm, with many saying the unprepardness for a historic weather event should not have occured since the prior storm season had brought about destructive storms in Hurricane Jude and Hurricane Leah. 781 people died in the storm, making it the Northern Cantalle Islands' deadliest hurricane since the Great 1926 Hurricane, and surpassing the previously deadliest Hurricane Alberta.
Meteorogical history
Preparations
Northern Cantalle Islands
Marivista
On August 30th, the government of Marivista mobilized 200 members of the Federal Marivistan National Guard in order to assist with evacuations and preparations, along with possible search and rescue operations for the storm's aftermath. The following day, the government of Marivista declared a national state of emergency and issued hurricane warnings across the entire federation. Prime Minister Wayan Blechynden ordered mandatory evacuations for the southernmost islands, where the major city of Laufrier was located, leaving behind a few hundred inhabitants who decided to stay. Just hours before the storm mad landfall, as the outer bands began to affect the islands, the government of Marivista issued a warning to take immediate cover, stating that those who do not heed the warning may very well "lose their lives".
Lower Aseu
President Salma Vargés issued a state of emergency for Lower Aseu on August 31st and ordered evacuations along the southwestern coastal regions.
Zamastan
On August 31st, Matthew Lockbeer, Director of the Zamastanian Oceanic and Atmospheric Center, classified Edith's rapid development in the central Cantalle as a "late season intense storm" with the potential to bring catastrophic winds, rain, flooding, and general disaster to the region if preparations weren't adaquetely followed. Alenchon Governor Peter Younggrain advised evacuations of coastal communities in anticipation of the hurricane's projected path, though most forecasts had it on a course towards the Tregueux/Landeda provincial borders for a mainland landfall. Governor Morriane Wilkons of Tregueux issued a state of emergency for the province, as did Landeda provincial governor Marcus Sommerson Jr.. President Sabine Armitage advised citizens in the projected impact zones to heed the authority of local officials as Edith intensified.
Impact
| Country | Deaths |
|---|---|
 Zamastan
|
91 |
 Lower Aseu
|
391 |
 Marivista
|
302 |
 Janapa
|
4 |
| Total | 788~ |
Northern Cantalle Islands
The combined effects of the precursor low to Edith and a disturbance over the Cantalle Ocean caused significant flooding across the impacted Northern Cantalle Islands.
In Lower Aseu, torrential rain caused at least three rivers to overtop their banks. The southern and most populated island of Manley was hardest hit, with an estimated 391 people being killed in storm surges and collapsed buildings. The city of Samuelton reported a 12-foot (3.65 meter) storm surge, which laped over the seawall and beachheads, inundating the lowerlying areas, and washed away roads and power lines. Electricity across the Asueans was completely knocked out by the storm, with spared communities forced to use backup generators and collect rainwater. President Vargés said on September 3rd "without a doubt, despite our preparations, this is the costliest natural disaster in our nation's history. Our preparations insured that this catastrophe was not apocalyptic, but nevertheless this is a devastating and extremely costly storm which has happened."
In Marivista, hurricane force winds would begin arriving to the islands many hours before landfall, leading to a prolonged period of heavy winds and early flooding. Rip currents occured as well with the arrival of tropical storm force winds to the islands. Just a few hours later, the southernmost islands, including the major city of Laufrier, would begin to experience major hurricane force winds, with destructive category 4 winds battering the islands before landfall occured. Late on September 2nd, Edith made landfall as a high-end category 4 hurricane on South Laufrier Island. Online, Prime Minister Wayan Blechynden stated, "This storm is a monster... please seek shelter immediately..."
At around 1:00 local time September 3rd, Edith made a second landfall on North Laufrier Island, having intensified into a strong category 5 storm just moments before landfall. Devastating storm surge of up to 23 feet swept away many buildings and submerged a large part of the affected areas. Later in the morning, reports claimed that almost 90% of Marivista had its power grids destroyed by the hurricane, which caused a communication crisis and would end up affecting the response of search and rescue teams later on. As flooding devastated the federation and all of its major cities, a Marivistan newspaper claimed the death toll could very well be over 5,000. Trees were uprooted, and homes had their roofs and walls completely ripped off, with many of these homes being submerged in water as flooding devastated these cities.
Janapa's southern coasts saw light flooding and high winds, as the outer bands of Edith skimmed the islands. Despite dodging the brunt of the storm, significant tree loss occurred across Janapa, winds brought down power lines, and a storm surge of 2 meters was observed in Sittusand, sweeping away vehicles and inundating the tourist town. 4 people were killed in Janapa, one as a result of the storm surge and three as a result of debris impact. President Kendrick Mehans ordered the activation of the Janapan military to assist Lower Aseu and Marivista in recovery efforts after the storm.
Zamastan
In Zamastan, the weather forecasts almost unilaterally agreed prior to September 4th that Edith would move northwards along the Landeda-Tregueux boundaries. However, the curve of the storm before midnight on September 3rd indicated the storm's eye would pass west of Svalberg, Verdesia, on the Landeda border. When Edith made landfall around 11:15 AM on September 4th, lowlying coastal neighborhoods of Svalberg were inundated with a significant storm surge, as were other coastal settlements like Winderdon, Flatdosa, and Granfield. Thousands of homes were destroyed along coastal communities, and hundreds of thousands of residents along Verdesia's coastal communities lost power with downed powerlines and trees throughout the region causing navigation for rescue and recovery teams difficult. In addition, flooded streets and the lack of adequete flood treatment infrastructure led to a failure to rescede the water levels for days. Authorities confirmed least 91 people deceased throughout the province as a result of the storm. Governor William Eilish of Verdesia province said that due to lowered preparations both by private individuals and the provincial government, the effects of the storm were far worse than they should have been.
"We were led to believe this storm would pass over an area 300 miles east of us," Governor Eilish said. "I'm not a forecaster, I have to take information from aides and ministers in my government and the federal bureaus to relay instruction of preparations. Our federal government failed us, and now our province is reeling with the aftermath of this historic storm."
President Sabine Armitage activated local military units to assist in recovery operations and visited Svalberg and surrounding communities on September 7th.