Hurricane Awareness

What is a Hurricane Watch? - Hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.

What is a Hurricane Warning? - Hurricane conditions are forecast for an area within 24 hours or less.

Consider Doing These Things Before a Severe Storm Hits:

Outside:

• Keep dead or weak branches from trees surrounding your house trimmed.
• If you have a boat, moor it by storing it upside down against a wall, or move it to a safer place.
• Protect windows with custom fit shutters or 5/8- inch plywood.
• Keep your roof drains clear.
• If you live in a flood prone area elevate or or move structures to higher ground.
• Bring objects that may be blown or swept away inside.
• Lower pool water levels 6 inches and add extra chlorine.
• Plan on how to care for your pets. If you evacuate, it is best to take your pets with you.
• If a storm is pending, fuel your vehicle.
• Have a small disaster kit in your car.

Inside:

• Keep sliding glass doors wedged shut in high winds.
• When using a portable generator make sure you know what loads it can handle, including start- up wattage. If you connect the generator to household circuits, you must have a transfer switch installed between the generator and outside power, or the "backfeed" could seriously harm or kill a utility worker.
• Place valuables in a waterproof container and store it at the highest point in your home.
• Have at least 2 copies of vital documents, originals should be stored in a safe deposit box. Keep one copy in safe place in your home and mail the second copy to someone out-of-town.
• Install smoke alarms. Replace batteries at least once a year.
• If a family member relies on life support equipment, make sure your cooperative ahead of time. We also require a doctors note verifying that someone is on life support.
• Fill bathtubs, sinks and jugs with clean water, in case of water contamination.
• Pick a safe room in your home. This includes interior halls and rooms without windows.
• Plan home escape routes with two ways out of each room.
• Check and protect objects that could cause harm, this includes things like bookshelves, gas appliances and chemicals.
• Keep an inventory of your home, garage and surrounding property.
• Have a portable battery operated radio or television, be sure to have extra batteries.
• Post emergency telephone numbers.
• Show adult family members where and how to operate a fire extinguisher.
• Make a plan to reunite if separated. Have a designated out-of-state family or friend that everyone knows how to reach.
• Teach all responsible family members how to turn off water, gas, and electricity at the main switches or valves. Keep a wrench nearby. Only turn off utilities if your suspect a leak or authorities instruct you to do so.

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Hurricanes are categorized according to the strength of their winds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. A Category 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds, while a Category 5 hurricane has the strongest. These are relative terms, because lower category storms can sometimes inflict greater damage than higher category storms, depending on where they strike and the particular hazards they bring. In fact, tropical storms can also produce significant damage and loss of life, mainly due to flooding.

Is Your Home Storm Ready? See if your home is properly prepared to face a Hurricane.

History of Naming Hurricanes

For several hundred years, hurricanes in the West Indies were often named after the particular saint’s day on which the hurricane occurred. For example "Hurricane San Felipe" struck Puerto Rico on September 13, 1876. Another storm struck Puerto Rico on the same day in 1928, and this storm was named "Hurricane San Felipe the second." Later, latitude-longitude positions were used. However, experience has shown that using distinctive names in communications is quicker and less subject to error than the cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.

Using women’s names became the practice during World War II, following the use of a woman’s name for a storm in the 1941 novel "Storm" by George R. Stewart. In 1951 the United States adopted a confusing plan to name storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie), and in 1953 the nation’s weather services returned to using female names. The practice of using female names exclusively ended in 1978 when names from both genders were used to designate storms in the eastern Pacific. A year later, male and female names were included in lists for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The name lists, which have been agreed upon at international meetings of the World Meteorological Organization, have an international flavor because hurricanes affect other nations and are tracked by the public and weather services of many countries.

The Tropical Prediction Center near Miami, FL keeps a constant watch on oceanic storm-breeding grounds. Once a system with counter-clockwise circulation and wind speeds of 39 mph or greater is identified, the Center gives the storm a name from the list for the current year. The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not included because of the scarcity of names beginning with those letters. Names associated with storms that have caused significant death and/or damage are usually retired from the list.

Handling A Power Outage

How To Operate A Portable Generator Safely.

Seguridad electrica durante las tormentas