Masculinity so deadly: Hurricanes with female names kill more because people are less afraid

tips

babe  • 

Masculinity so deadly: Hurricanes with female names kill more because people are less afraid

‘Don’t worry, it’s just Irma’

It's proven that people are more likely to reply to emails sent by men than sent by women, but we already knew that. It's aggravating, but it's not alarming. An email isn't going to uproot your family, flood your home, and potentially kill you.

But when you ignore a hurricane because it has a feminine name, you and your fragility are really gambling with the gods.

According to a team of researchers in the National Academy of Sciences, "Feminine-named hurricanes cause significantly more deaths, apparently because they lead to a lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness."

Imagine deciding, subconsciously or nor, that you weren't going to evacuate your home for a Category 5 hurricane because her name was Linda.

The claims were backed by the death rates from U.S. hurricanes from 1950 to 2012, and researchers even suggest changing a hurricane's name from Charley to Eloise could triple its death toll.

Hurricane Irma already killed 10 in the Caribbean as Florida awaits the storm. Next up on the female storm list is Katia, set to come sweeping in after Jose. Just because she has a cute name does not mean she'll treat lightly.

Katia might be a home-wrecker, please fear and respect her.

@carolinephinney