In the month of October, Europe has been terrorized by several natural disasters. With Hurricane Ophelia heading towards Ireland and the United Kingdom, and wildfires spreading rapidly in Portugal and Northern Spain, natural disasters are devastating parts of Europe, and countless people are in need of shelter and assistance.

   On Oct. 9, Tropical Storm Ophelia formed on the Atlantic Ocean, and below-average temperatures and low wind shear allowed Ophelia to gradually strengthen. As Ophelia moved northwards, the high-temperature contrast between the warm seawater and cold atmosphere made Ophelia’s thunderstorms unstable, ultimately strengthening it. On Oct. 12, Tropical Storm Ophelia intensified, turning into a Category 2 hurricane. The hurricane wreaked havoc across Ireland and the UK, causing three deaths and destroying countless buildings as it tore towards northern Ireland. However, Ophelia’s damage is not limited to such, its strong winds have helped wildfires in Portugal and Spain spread even faster.

   In Portugal and northern Spain, fires erupted starting Monday, Oct. 21. More than 35 people have died and dozens of others are injured. Because of the strong winds caused by the nearby Hurricane Ophelia, the fire was able to spread rapidly, but investigators are still examining potential human causes of the fires.

   Fire management has been weakened by recent budget cuts as a result of the financial crisis in Portugal. Two weeks before the fires, 436 temporary forest rangers had been released from the job, justified by the supposed decreased risk of fires on the Atlantic coast. This leaves Portugal’s citizens wondering how strong the government is in emergency situations.

   Portugal’s forests have been unusually dry and warm this summer, according to The New York Times, with 64 dying in a fire in the town of Pedrógão Grande in June, the country’s deadliest fire in history.

   According to UN Dispatch, the fires in Spain and Portugal have something in common with those recently occurring in Northern California: they are likely a result of climate change, and are a “sample of a disaster of the sort of disaster that is coming.”

   Junior Belen Altamirano expresses her opinion on why natural disasters have been occurring frequently, and how people should be treating the environment in the future.  

 “I think that’s just kind of a warning letting us know we need to make changes because people are destroying the environment and affecting it. I think people should be more careful and more aware of what they’re putting into their environment because at the end it kind of comes back to us,” said Altamirano.

   The effects of the fires have been able to impact the population of Portugal especially because of the combination of the fire’s effect and the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia, strong winds allowing fires to reach more people and cause more devastation.

   Natural disasters can cause more devastation than what is broadcasted on the news. According to the National Psychiatric Association, climate change and its associated natural disasters can cause induce anxiety-related responses, and further on, severe mental illnesses. For example, both flooding and prolonged droughts have been associated with depression, elevated levels of anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sophomore Ryan Buot says he thinks natural disasters cause a lot of stress for those affected.

   “It’s very distraught when natural disasters happen because you lose land, you lose your home and often times, unfortunately, you lose family members and it causes a lot of stress and it’s really just distraught to others,” said Buot.