Hurricane Irma that raged on the Atlantic Ocean and in the Caribbean in the past days caused damage in the amount of US$ 10 billion. This figure was calculated by researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The hurricane of the highest category 5 also was the longest of this intensity. On Caribbean islands, such as Barbuda, St. Martin, and the Virgin Islands, it destroyed a number of houses and made the power, drinking water, and fuel supply systems collapse.
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Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.