From Newbury Port News

NEWBURYPORT – The Storm Surge group is hosting a screening on Monday of the Nova film “Rise of the Superstorms,” which documents the three monster hurricanes of 2017 – Harvey, Irma and Maria.

One after another, they swept in from the Atlantic, shattering storm records and killing hundreds of people in just one devastating month, changing Houston, Florida and the Caribbean forever, according to a press release.

First, Harvey brought catastrophic rain and flooding to Houston, causing $125 billion in damage. Less than two weeks later, Irma lashed the Caribbean with 180 mph winds—and left the island of Barbuda uninhabitable.

Hot on Irma’s heels, Maria intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in just 30 hours, then ravaged Puerto Rico and left millions of people without power for months.

Nova looks at the 2017 superstorms and the cutting-edge research that will determine how well-equipped the country is to deal with hurricanes in the future.

A question-and-answer session after the film will focus on how climate change is increasing exposure in New England to these storms and why Newburyport is taking these risks seriously and developing a resiliency plan.

The film starts at 7 p.m. at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 6 Plum Island Turnpike. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more on this story go to: http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/screening-discussion-monday-on-rise-of-the-superstorms/article_f318d7a9-6b57-506f-af87-8caca99f5803.html