Hurricane Preparedness Center

National Hurricane Preparedness Week - Creating an Emergency Plan

Part 3 of my ode to National Hurricane Preparedness Week details the importance of utilizing all the knowledge you've gained so far and putting together a family emergency plan.

Here are the steps you should take prior to hurricane season:

1. Assess the vulnerabilities of your home to common hurricane hazards.
2. Determine local safety areas in your community in case you need to evacuate your home.
3. Map out which areas of you home are safest for each hazard. Not trying to state the obvious here, but the basement may be ideal for protection against high winds and debris, but not ideal for storm surge and flooding.
4. Know your city or town's hurricane evacuation route.
5. Before storm season hits, talk with your insurance company to determine what parts of your home are covered. Generally, flood insurance is a separate policy from your homeowners insurance.
6. Create an emergency or disaster kit (see details below)
7. Purchase a battery powered radio and keep extra stock of batteries in case of severe power loss.
8. Consider purchasing a generator for extended periods without power, but be sure to talk with the retailer and learn the proper way to operate indoors.

A disaster kit should contain the essentials for at least 3 days of roughing it without power, but consider stocking up for a full week. Even minor hurricane winds and flooding can cause enough damage to leave residents without power for several days. In fact, during Hurricane Ike I lost power for 2 weeks, so speaking from personal experience, it's best to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

For more details on creating a hurricane disaster kit.

NOAA Releases 2009 Hurricane Outlook

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center  calls for  a 25 percent probability of a below-normal season, 50 percent probability of a near-normal season, and a 25 percent probability of an above-normal season.  It's a classic bell-shaped curve of probability.  

"Today more than 157 million people live in coastal areas of the U.S. and some 35 million live in areas most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. Having an accurate and advanced warning is vital for those in harm’s way," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said at the May 21 news conference announcing the hurricane predictions. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Locke was joined by NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read and other government and military officials.  The 2009 season starts June 1.

Tropical systems acquire a name – the first for 2009 will be Ana – upon reaching tropical storm strength with sustained winds of at least 39 mph. Tropical storms become hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph, and become major hurricanes when winds increase to 111 mph.

NOAA's predictions are only slightly different from those made by Colorado State.  NOAA predicts a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with one to three major storms reaching as high as category five strength and as many as 14 named tropical storms. CSU predicts 1 category 5 storm and 12 named storms.  However, both groups predicted essentially a 50 % chance of an average hurricane season.

Of course, with all this talk about predicting storms and the accompanying pretty graphics, it's hard to remember that NOAA is not trying to forecast hurricanes down to the time, date, and landfall location.  Like their counterparts at CSU, and other climatologists, they are making predictions about probabilities or liklihood of the number of storms during the season based on a century of data and the ongoing data collection about wind and sea currents, wind and sea temperatures, and other factors that influence hurricane development (e.g. La Nina/El Nino events). 

But even if only one hurricane was known to be coming this season, the single action a person can take to care for themself and their family is to prepare for that storm's arrival.  All too often, the best way to handle a hurricane's arrival is to leave.

Stay tuned for energy_linguist's upcoming third installment on hurricane safety.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week: Common Hurricane Hazards

The second part of my dive into hurricane safety covers the common hazards associated with hurricanes. Not for the purpose of frightening the masses here, but understanding what a hurricane entails and the dangers it presents is an important part of being prepared.

Common Hurricane Hazards:

1. Storm Surge - Quite simply, storm surge is a massive amount of water pushed onto shore by the force of the hurricane winds. The real danger lies when storm surge mixes with normal ocean tides, potentially causing massive flooding in a concentrated area. This is why it is essential for people living near shorelines to consider evacuation even during a Category 1 storm. Remember, winds are not necessarily the most dangerous aspect of a hurricane.
2. Winds - High winds are an obvious danger, with a Category 1 capable of producing winds upwards of 94 mph, and the strongest storm more than 156 mph. Debris, power lines and poorly constructed buildings are all hazards associated with hurricane winds.
3. Tornadoes - Maybe not the most commonly known hurricane hazard, but because of low pressure circulation, a hurricane can produce a single or multiple tornadoes during and after a hurricane subsides.
4. Flooding - According to the National Hurricane Center, half of the hurricane casualties in 70's, 80's and 90's were due to flooding. A weaker storm can move so slowly that it dumps rain for several days in a single area, leading to massive inland flooding.

Best prepared by knowing what you're facing, a good mantra to follow during hurricane season. Stay tuned in the coming days for Part 3, detailing some essential tips for developing an emergency hurricane plan for you and your family.

In case you missed Part 1, see below.

Being Prepared: Hurricane Basics

May 24-30 is National Hurricane Preparedness Week, an annual educational opportunity for the National Hurricane Center to raise awareness on then history, common dangers and the need to be well prepared in case of an emergency.

The three primary goals of raising hurricane awareness: Understanding the nature of a hurricane, the common hazards and learning how to properly prepare for a national disaster. In honor of the hurricane education, I am providing some tips and information leading up to next week, hopefully offering some insight into the essentials of understanding and preparing for hurricane season.

Hurricane Basics:

• A hurricane generally forms as a low pressure system in the tropics, hence the term tropical cyclone.
• Pre-existing weather disturbances, warm tropical oceans, moisture, and relatively light winds are part of the primary ingredients for forming a hurricane.
• A storm is classified as a hurricane once it's winds reach 74 mph sustained.
• The "eye" of a hurricane is the region of lowest surface pressure and warmest temperatures. It is a circular area found at the hurricane's center, marked by relatively mild winds. The "eye wall" is is the area surrounding the hurricane's calmer center that produces the storm's most violent conditions. For more information, see our post What is the Eye of a Hurricane? How is it Formed and Maintained?
• Hurricane strength is measured according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, with a Category 1 storm offering sustained winds of 74-95 mph, and the strongest at Category 5 coming in at a whopping 156 mph and up.

Stay tuned the rest of the week for part 2 and 3, common hurricane hazards and preparation the soup du jour.

BEFORE You Build or Renovate: The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA)  is the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail coverage in the 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County (specified below). TWIA provides wind and hail coverage when insurance companies exclude it from homeowners and other property policies sold to coastal residents.

After the recent catastrophic hurricane seasons, many people are still trying to put their homes and lives back together.  So ask yourself, is your home covered for hurricane or other windstorm damage so you won’t be the next victim? By enhancing your home with the latest and most effective wind resistant construction, you will have a stronger structure and a better opportunity to obtain windstorm and hail insurance coverage through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association or the voluntary market.

If you are planning to build or renovate any structure in the counties listed below, then you are advised to contact your insurance agent about the Windstorm Inspection Program in order to obtain or maintain windstorm and hail insurance through TWIA.  

 

Coastal Counties and Areas Effected:  

Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, 

Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, 

Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Willacy, or in the 

following cities east of State Highway 146 in Harris 

County: La Porte, Morgan's Point, Pasadena, Seabrook, 

or Shore Acres 

The TWIA website has a library of resources for both construction and repairs as well as lists of approved engineers and inspectors to help you make sure you biggest investment --your home-- meets the requirements for windstorm insurance coverage.

For more information about obtaining or maintaining windstorm insurance coverage when you build, remodel, add-on, repair or re-roof a structure, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) encourages you to contact your insurance agent or the Windstorm Inspection Division of TDI at 800-248-6032 or visit their website.

Hurricane Preparedness Week 2009

Running May 24-31, National Hurricane Preparedness Week marks an important time for families in coastal areas to raise their awareness and preparation habits prior to the start of hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center utilizes the entire week to educate citizens on the history and dangers that hurricane season brings, in addition to saving lives with important tips to help families properly prepare.

The topics covered include:

• Hurricane history and facts
• Hazards
• Forecast
• Prepare
• Act

As hurricane season approaches, I will scour the Web and blogsphere for tips that will help you better prepare in case of a tropical storm or hurricane. National Hurricane Preparedness Week marks the first push in the education process, and I will update with important facts as provided.