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On August 25, 2005, right before it made landfall north of Miami, Tropical Storm Katrina became Hurricane Katrina. As it blew through the southern tip of Florida, it caused some damage and 11 fatalities, but no one ranked it as one of the storms of the century at the time. After crossing the southern tip of the state, though, the storm entered the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where it rapidly grew, eventually reaching Category 5 status, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Four days later, on August 29, 2005, Katrina made a second landfall over Hancock County, Mississippi as a strong Category 3 storm, affecting areas from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. The destruction is well known today. Nearly 1,400 people lost their lives and damages totaled $125 billion. Since that time, the U.S. has seen one Category 5 storm (Michael in 2018) make landfall and a handful of Category 4 storms (such as Ian in 2022 and Helene in 2024). And just days ago, another Category 5 storm, Erin, gave east coast residents a scare with its 160 mile per hour winds, before taking a northern turn and avoiding the U.S. From rare to routine: The rise of Category 5 storms Erin was the 11th Category 5 storm to threaten North America since 2016and if that sounds like a lot in a short time, you’re right. Since 1924, there have only been 33 Category 5 storms. Prior to 2016, it took 27 years for 11 to form. And it took 34 years for the first 11 to come together. (Erin might not be the only Cat 5 we see this year, either. We’re just entering the busiest part of hurricane seasonand the biggest storms usually form in September.) Between 1996 and 2005, there were 25 storms that reached at least Category 4 strength. In the past 10 years, that number has hit 27with the bulk of this year’s storm season to goand hurricane wind strengths have increased by 18 miles per hour since 2019. More worrisome, perhaps, than the increased frequency of these storms is what will happen should one make landfall in the U.S. while at peak or near-peak strength. The fragile safety net Employees at FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) have warned Congress that plans by the Trump administration to scale down FEMA and shift disaster response to the states could reverse much of the progress that has been made since Katrina. An aerial view of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. [Photo: Michael Appleton/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images] “Hurricane Katrina was not just a natural disaster, but a man-made one,” the group wrote. “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration.” In June, FEMA scrapped its revised hurricane response plan and announced it would use the same one it used in 2024. Staffers, though, were reportedly unsure about how the old plan, which includes going door to door in affected areas, can be carried out this year following sizable staff departures. In that same meeting, acting FEMA leader David Richardson said “Yesterday, as everybody knows, [was the] first day of hurricane season. I didnt realize it was a season. A spokesperson has said Richardson was joking, but that didn’t quell criticism for the comment. FEMA’s not alone in its growing unease about the U.S. state of readiness for tropical activity. Meteorologists warn that cuts by the administration at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and to weather satellites could impact forecasting accuracy, which has also progressed significantly since Katrina. A five-day tracking forecast of a hurricane today is as accurate as a two-day forecast was in 2005. The money spent on that more accurate forecasting is a wise investment, says the National Bureau of Economic Research, which found that the amount saved because of improved forecasts for a single hurricane exceeds the federal funding cost of the entire weather forecasting operation. (And, obviously, the number of annual hurricanes is far greater than one.) September is comingand its peak danger time Last year saw 27 weather and climate disasters, including hurricanes, with losses exceeding $1 billion each. All totaled, hurricanes caused an estimated $124 billion in damagesand some areas, like Asheville, North Carolina, continue to struggle to get back to normal. Forecasters have said the 2025 hurricane season will be an active one, with above-normal activity in the Atlantic thanks to higher than usual temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
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E-Commerce
Southwest Airlines will soon require travelers who don’t fit within the armrests of their seat to pay for an extra one in advance, part of a string of recent changes the carrier is making. The new rule goes into effect January 27, the same day Southwest starts assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can either pay for an extra seat in advance with the option of getting that money back later, or they can request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the carrier’s new policy, a refund is still possible but no longer guaranteed. In a statement Monday, Southwest said it is updating some of its policies as it prepares for assigned seating next year. To ensure space, we are communicating to customers who have previously used the extra seat policy that they should purchase it at booking, the statement said. It marks the latest change at Southwest, which had long been known for letting its passengers pick their own seats after boarding the plane, and for letting their bags fly for free, which ended in May. Those perks were key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. Southwest says it will still refund a second ticket under its new policy for extra seating if the flight isn’t fully booked at the time of departure, and if both of the passenger’s tickets were purchased in the same booking class. The passenger also needs to request the refund within 90 days of the flight. If a passenger who needs an extra seat doesn’t purchase one ahead of time, they will be required to buy one at the airport, according to the new policy. If the flight is full, the passenger will be rebooked onto a new flight. Jason Vaughn, an Orlando-based travel agent who posts theme park reviews and travel tips for plus-size people on social media and his website, Fat Travel Tested, said the change will likely impact travelers of all sizes. Southwests current policy helped create a more comfortable flying experience for plus-size travelers, he said, while also ensuring all passengers have adequate space in their seats. I think its going to make the flying experience worse for everybody, he said of the new rule. Vaughn described the change as yet another letdown for Southwest loyalists like himself, likening it to Cracker Barrel’s recent logo change that has angered some of the restaurant’s fans. They have no idea anymore who their customer is, he said of the airline. “They have no identity left. The airline has struggled recently and is under pressure from activist investors to boost profits and revenue. It also said last year that it would charge customers extra for more legroom and offer red-eye flights. Rio Yamat, AP airlines writer
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E-Commerce
Is Spirit Airlines about to breach the final Frontier? Frontier Airlines appears to be readying a knockout blow against its chief rival in the low-cost airfare space by announcing 20 new routes, set to begin later this year. That includes new routes from cities like Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte, and Dallas, with more on the way for 2026. One-way fares for those routes will be as low as $29 (from Baltimore to Houston), and as high as $89 (from Detroit to Cancun). While those low fares may sound exciting to travelers, the additional routes also appear to serve as a major attempt at swiping customers away from struggling Spirit Airlines, which has said that its quickly losing lift. Spirit warned that it could not make it through the end of the year without more capital. In its latest quarterly report, filed earlier this month, the company noted that adverse market conditions, including elevated domestic capacity and continued weak demand for domestic leisure travel in the second quarter of 2025, resulting in a challenging pricing environment. As a result, the Company continues to experience challenges and uncertainties in its business operations and expects these trends to continue for at least the remainder of 2025. This follows previous warnings from the company, including a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing late last year. It had also previously held merger talks with Frontier, which broke down in November. Frontier had also offered another merger earlier this year, which Spirit rejected. Now, it appears Frontier is going on offense, expanding its offerings, and potentially enticing away Spirits passengerswhich could prove a death knell for the struggling airline. We see a clear path to being the number one low-fare carrier in the top 20 U.S. metros, said Barry Biffle, CEO, Frontier Airlines, in a statement. As industry capacity adjusts, we want to ensure consumers in those markets continue to have affordable flight options. As a part of those adjustments, its possible that Biffle is hinting at Spirits potential grounding.
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E-Commerce
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