By: Joanna Winograd
Tooth (Alligator): Remember NOT to approach ANY wild animal, even if it is in your garden!!!
Nina: Call an ADULT immediately!!!
I live here
My house
Nina: Hi! I’m Nina! I’m going to play in the garden!
Mom: Oh no! I’m sorry, pero* a Hurricane is about to arrive! We have to stay inside!
*But
Nina: How boring…
Nina: I hope the sun comes out soon!!!
Clouds loades with water
Strong rain
Strong wind
Wind with twist
Hot and humid air
Low pressure zone
Ocean surface
*Good morning!
Tooth: My name is Tooth.
Tooth: There was a storm, and a lot of wind… and everything was flying around…
Mom was screaming and then everything was turning…
Tooth: I miss my home and my family!!!!!
Nina: Don’t be so sad! I’ll show you my toys!!! This will cheer you up! Dale ven*!!!
*Let’s go!
Super heroes?
Cars?
Barbies?
Read a book?
This is my little brother Oli!
And this is Bigotes* my cat!!!
*Whiskers
Nina: Mami, Papi*!!! Tooth, the alligator is hungry!!!
*mommy, daddy
Mom and dad: Que**? The alligator?
**what?
Tooth: I’ll take mine with fish please!
Mom: Thank you Tooth for helping us with the dishes!
Mom: Dios mio* the hurricane made a mess!
*my god
Nina: Oh! Qué pasa*?
*What’s wrong?
Mom: Do you miss your home?
Tooth: Yes!!! I miss my mom and my dad!!! And the swamp!!! And all my other friends!!!
Dad: Sabes qué**? Tomorrow we will bring you back!We’ll find your dad and mom!
** You know what?
Dad: Oh! Mira eso*!!! There was a looot of wind and damages!!!
*Look at this
Tooth: It’s here! But everithing is destroyed now!!!
Tooth’s mom and dad: Tooth!!! My son!! We were so worried!!
Tooth: Our Home! The hurricane did all this?
Tooth’s mom and dad: Well, The hurricane… but also…
The fact that they cut the trees for building and clogged all the channels with sediment and debris
And throw trash in the water…
..they destroy our ecosystem to breed shrimps and fishes for fishing.
And they take the sand for construction…
Dad: Pero* what can we do?
*But
Mom: Do you have any idea how we could help?
Tooth’s dad: And planting more MANGROVES!!
Tooth: And helping protecting the MANGROVES!!!
Dad: Pero dime* What are MANGROVES?
*But tell me
Are trees thet grow between the land and the sea.
Benefits:
Habitat for many fish species.
Prevent Erosion.
Reduce wave height
They improve water quality!
Red mangrove
White mangrove
Black mangrove
The three species are natives to Florida
Dad: Buena idea*!!!
*Good idea!
Mom: We should clean channels and find a way to keep water circulating to prevent flooding
Oli: Da, da!
Tooth: And create GREEN SPACES for recreation where people can spend time and learn how to take care of the nature!!!
Nina: … and make good use of all the services we receive from nature.
The next morning…
Neighbour 1: Hello neighbors! We’re going to the mall! Wanna join us?
Neighbour kid: Pfff… boring!
Nina: We can’t!!! We’re going to clean up the swamp and restore the MANGROVES!!!
Neighbours: Oh! Sounds great! Do you want some help?
Nina: Use gloves to be safe!
Dad: Aquí están*!!! The baby mangroves
*Here they are
Nina: yay!!!
To restore water circulation that will help the mangroves replant again is important to keep the channels clean.
To ensure green spaces, platforms are required to allow people to walk and circulate safely and without disturbing the ecosystem.
Rules: Respect, learn, take care, keep clean
Animals: Welcome to our home!
Bird: It’s so clean…
Crab: And cozy!
Tooth’s dad: I am so happy that life is like before the hurricane again!
Tooth’s mom:I think it’s even better!!!
Tooth: And we made new friends!
Nina and family: Hello!
Tooth and family: Hola amigos*!
*Hello friends
Nina: Sure, but I prefer to cook it first!
what is ‘nbs’ about this comic?
Storm surge is a coastal flood caused by strong winds from a big storm or hurricane. They can be very destructive, but the surges can be reduced with nature-based solutions. How? We can restore mangroves, wetlands, shellfish flats, and coral reefs. These natural barriers help absorb wave energy and reduce flooding, making our coastlines more resilient and boosting biodiversity at the same time—nature’s own flood defense system. But along many coasts we have removed such natural barriers to make roads or build houses. This common practice makes storms more dangerous … storms that will only get bigger, more frequent, and more destructive with climate change.
