Hurricane Preparedness Blog

Florida isn’t out of the woods yet; Fay could bring more heavy flooding to areas in its track…

As I was watching some of the radar loops from around Florida, it occurred to me that some of this heavy rain is falling in areas where there is some elevation. Thus, the rain will have to collect somewhere downhill.

Central Florida and areas along the Panhandle have rolling hills (quite spectacular to see when driving through) and there is a risk of deep flooding if the rains persist or get too heavy. So, I am calling on people who live in the area or who know people that do to be prepared. The first part of that is to be aware. Check your local NWS web page for updates. Listen to your local TV meteorologist and their advice. Doppler radar can pinpoint some heavy rain areas and the competition within the local TV markets is such that each has a better radar than the other- take advantage of that and listen to what the meteorologists are saying. They, coupled with the local info from the NWS, will help you to be educated as to what the threat is to your life and property.

If you are traveling through the region- be extra careful. Slow it down and never drive across flooded roads- even if you have an SUV. Moving water is especially powerful and where gravity gets involved with this rain runoff, there will be problems. Stay aware and stay safe.

This is a serious situation and the places with elevation will have aggravated flooding issues.

As Fay makes its way across the state, Floridians statewide are preparing for (or already experiencing) the wind and rain.   Up to ten inches of rain have been reported from Fay, which can mean flooding for certain parts of Florida.    Along with the potential for flooding, what’s also scary is that Fay’s track has shifted so much from initial forecasts- but this has proven one thing: everyone needs to be prepared for storms.

In order to bring affected residents local information, we’ve started another blog, TropicalStormFay.org.   We’re updating it routinely with shelter information, school closings, toll suspensions, sandbag availability, and anything else that people from the community want to know.   Hopefully, it’ll help subdue the panic mode, and help people find the information they need.    It’s full of county-by-county coverage and resources for affected areas- we’re sure you’ll find information there that’ll help get you through Fay.

A low category of storm still deserves a high level of preparation.    All tropical storms and hurricanes can bring severe damage and loss…

As a storm approaches, we should consider all of its potentially deadly aspects -  including storm surge, wind speed, and rainfall.   Don’t focus only on what category of storm is coming, but think about what’s the worst that each factor, and the combination of those factors, could do.

Although Fay is only a tropical storm at this point, we still need to be watching it closely, and thinking about what kind of rainfall affected areas are going to get.   Many areas of Florida received above average rainfall in July- which means that numerous regions around the anticipated forecast cones of Fay are already well-moistened.   This saturated ground can increase the chances of flooding- especially if Fay delivers the type of rainfall it’s already shown it can bring.

Note:  Even if you are hundreds of miles away from the center of a cyclone, you can still see the effects of its havoc.  Being outside of the forecast cone does not translate into safety.

In addition to finishing your hurricane plan now, here are some basic guidelines to get you flood ready:

• When you hear hurricane, think inland flooding.
• Determine whether you live in a potential flood zone.
• If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
• Keep abreast of road conditions through the news media.
• Move to a safe area before access is cut off by flood water.
• Do not attempt to cross flowing water. As little as six inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle…two feet of water will carry most cars away.
• Have flood insurance.   Flood damage is not usually covered by homeowners insurance.   Do not make assumptions.  Check your policy.

Source Used:  “Inland Flooding.”  NHC.   17 August 2008.

Good afternoon, readers. Just checking in with a quick update: We have set up a separate resource site in anticipation of Tropical Storm Fay making landfall in Florida next week.

Tropical Storm Fay Resource Site (TropicalStormFay.org)

While the Hurricane Preparedness blog will continue to focus on overall readiness, the Fay site should provide useful response and recovery information should it be needed - of course we’re hoping not!

Have a great weekened. We’ll be getting all of our ducks in a row to provide you with the best information when you need it.

Why should forecasters and weather experts have all the tracking fun?   Print out our free Atlantic Basin Hurricane Tracking Chart and follow storms’ development and demise...

As we continue to see areas of possible tropical cyclone formation throughout the Atlantic, this year’s predictions seem to be coming true- 2008 is proving to be an eventful hurricane season.    We’ve included a free tracking map on this post so you can follow along with all this activity.   And, by tracking hurricanes, you’ll become better prepared for them:  you’ll witness hurricane behavior, what factors can affect their movement (such as landfall and warm waters), and how quickly hurricanes can emerge and travel.  Just click on the picture below to access a 1 page, PDF version of the chart.

If you’re looking for the best large-format tracking map, contributor Mark Sudduth is your man. Contact him from HurricaneTrack.com to inquire about these larger maps.

When a hurricane threatens, local information will be the best information.   But will you know where to find it?….

In my 12 years of working with the public concerning hurricane preparedness, one issue that comes up again and again is concerning local information when a hurricane threatens. Too often, we rely on national news media outlets for “breaking news” which seems to occur on a daily basis these days. Even the text crawls at the bottom of the cable news channels are chocked full of tid-bits of information or data. Therein lies the problem: none of this information is likely sent by local officials to these news channels. Sound bytes and quotes about an impending hurricane event are not sufficient when dealing with a hurricane threat.

Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center director, participated in several hurricane preparedness interviews while I was working with local governments over the years. He always stressed the importance of listening to the advice of local officials. But where can this advice be found? Oftentimes it is noted in what is called the “Hurricane Local Statement” (HLS) from your nearest National Weather Service office.

These are the men and women who take on the hurricane along the front lines in your community. Their office works closely with local emergency management officials to gather and disseminate information and data that is relevant to the local communities threatened by the hurricane. Evacuation orders, effects from the hurricane, storm tide information, rain fall predictions, tornado threats and other local considerations are discussed in fairly detailed, easy to understand language within the HLS. In fact, the local Weather Forecast Office in your area is the best source of information when you are looking for what impacts a given hurricane will have on your area. Since no two hurricanes are alike, they do not issue blanket statements but rather up to date and constantly revised information that can help you to better understand the nature of the threat headed your way.

I always make it a point to mention the HLS when there is a threat of a landfalling tropical storm or hurricane. The National Hurricane Center links to these statements within their advisory package page. It is easy to access and should be a tool that is part of your hurricane plan. Knowledge truly is power and in this case, the power that you are up against is far more overwhelming than most people can ever imagine. Arm yourself with the best local information that you can. When a hurricane or tropical storm threatens your community, look for the HLS via the National Hurricane Center’s web site or by visiting weather.gov and inputting your zip code. HurricaneTrack will also have links to these important statements throughout the duration of any hurricane landfall event. It’s critical information that you have paid for through your taxes. Use it and be in the know!

How will you get weather information if you don’t have power?  The NOAA Weather Radio can be the information source you need when and if the storm hits…

It’s still early in Hurricane Season 2008, and we’ve had five named storms so far.   We’re off to a fairly busy start, aren’t we?   When you are putting the finishing touches on your hurricane supply kit, make sure you cover your communication bases.   We’ve all seen how disasters alter communication systems we use everyday- so it’s best to get together various communication tools that’ll get us the information we need, when we need to know it.   We’ve already mentioned rabbit ears as a great addition to your  2008 Hurricane Season supplies, and now we will mention another great communication tool-  the NOAA Weather Radio.

• The NOAA Weather Radio is a tool commonly used by water enthusiasts and boaters, but it’s great for other weather emergencies, like hurricanes.   It is a small radio that you can typically buy at electronics stores and local boating stores.   From National Weather Service centers from across your state, it will provide you with the latest weather information pertinent to your area.  It’s a good thing to have in your hurricane supply kit, but it’s also a helpful device to use year round, for both the home and the outdoors.
• For certain NOAA Weather Radios, if an emergency weather situation is present, the radio will sound an alarm.   Then, the user can turn on the radio to hear the broadcast.   And know that you won’t miss a beat-  NOAA gets broadcast information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and repeats messages every four to six minutes.    Broadcasts are also routinely updated by the National Weather Service.
• The best type of NOAA Weather Radio is one that has three power options: plug-in, battery powered, and hand crank. While you have electricity, keep it plugged in to save the batteries for when you really need them. If the batteries die, a hand crank can power it up for a short time. Note that plug-in models from Radio Shack for example often require you to purchase the power adapter separately.

Imagine that your phones are out, your cable isn’t working, and your power is off.   After a hurricane strikes, this could describe the situation you’re in.    The NOAA Weather Radio can give you information that you don’t have, and badly need access to.   For more information about this communication tool and others, visit the Communication side of OneStorm.

Take that, Hurricane Season 2008:  A valuable resource joins forces with the Hurricane Preparedness Blog…We are pleased to introduce the newest contributing member of HurricanePreparedness.org:  Mr. Mark Sudduth, founder/editor of the web site, hurricanetrack.com, and member/founder of the Hurricane Intercept Reseach Team (HIRT).   Mark will be posting along with Chris and myself, as we provide the public with everything hurricane-related.   Mark has a long and close relationship with hurricanes, as you will be able to see from his full autobiography.   But before you delve into that, let Mark briefly take the stage, and tell you just what HIRT and hurricanetrack.com, another great hurricane information and preparedness site, are capable of:

Our field team is now capable of sending live video, up to the minute weather data, photos and constant updates to hurricanetrack.com during even the strongest of hurricanes. This technology helps to keep us safe as well since we developed a remote observation system where by we can send back live video and weather data without us having to be in harm’s way. It is the best possible solution to the problem of gathering data and video without putting lives at risk…I would like to invite you to visit my site- hurricanetrack.com. My staff and I keep it updated every day throughout the season. We post field reports when we are on missions and even have a great subscription service for those who want to go beyond our free services.”          

Mark offers valuable advice and a forecast of his postings:

So now that we are deep within the 2008 hurricane season and we have witnessed four named storms, it appears that we may be in for a rough August and September. No one knows for sure but the signs seem to be there for quite an active peak to the season. I am proud to be working with hurricanepreparedness.org to offer my 12 years of experience, a lot of it from the front lines, to you. I have talked to thousands of people face to face since 1996 and have a pretty good idea of what preparedness is all about. But like everything else in life, no one knows it all. I am just one resource to tap for information or advice. My best advice is simple. Be educated. Know the enemy and then learn how you can lessen the effects of that enemy.  I look forward to posting my thoughts, stories and advice here as often as possible.”          

As a hurricane approaches, high winds can bring massive destruction, but it is a hurricane’s flooding that can cause the most damage…  A hurricane’s category (Category 1, Category 2, etc.)  tells the wind speed of a storm, but not other important factors, like how quickly the storm itself is moving, or the amount of rainfall a cyclone can produce.   But often, the aspect that can make a hurricane so destructive is how much rain it dumps on an area. The heavy rain that is common of tropical cyclones can produce heavy flooding, which is where both human life and property damage are greatly impacted. Several studies highlight this point:  since 1970, freshwater flooding was responsible for fifty-nine percent of all deaths caused by tropical cyclones in the United States, more than wind, surf, offshore flooding, and tornadoes combined.  Also, a U.S. Geological Survey conducted in 2000 found that during the 20th century in the U.S., floods were the number one natural disaster in terms of lives lost and property damage. There are several factors of a tropical cyclone that can contribute to inland flooding:

1.  Forward speed- Slowly moving tropical cylcones allow heavy rain to persist over a location.   We’ve just recently seen this happen with Hurricane Dolly.   Although her wind speed is relatively low compared to other hurricanes, she still is packing  a pretty heavy punch because she is so slow moving.   The slower she moves, the more rain is concentrated in one region.   As a result, many areas of southern Texas are being affected by flooding.
2. Orography-  As a tropical cyclone’s warm, moist, tropical air is forced up hills and mountains, rain is intensified.
3. Intersections with other weather features- When a tropical cyclone encounters another storm,  major rainfall is likely, and therefore major flooding is possible.
4. Antecedent conditions- If soil is already saturated, and water levels are already high in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and reservoirs, the chances of flooding are increased.

If you suspect flooding in your region, hydrological forecasts can be found at www.weather.gov.    For extensive information concerning floods, visit  OneStorm’s Flood Center. Sources Used:“Tropical Cyclone Flooding: A Deadly Inland Danger.”  NOAA.  March 2005.  23 July 2008. 

With little time left to prepare, Tropical Storm Dolly, who very likely will be Hurricane Dolly, is forecasted to land in southern Texas within the next two days…

As Tropical Storm Cristobal continues to slide along the U.S.’s Eastern coast, little damage and relatively low rainfall have been reported.

However, Tropical Storm Dolly looks like a more brutal animal: she is churning over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to intensify to hurricane status tomorrow.   Although it is not certain where the storm will hit, it is threatening southern Texas and northern Mexico, where a hurricane watch is posted from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, to Port O’Connor, Texas.   This region should start seeing the initial hello shortly-  Dolly’s outer rain bands are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

Like many Americans, you’re probably thinking, where did she come from?!  Hurricanes can arise very quickly, which is why preparation is key, and the best way to keep you and your family safe.   As a hurricane approaches, supplies become limited, and demand often exceeds supply.   This can be a very fearful experience for those scrambling to protect their homes and families.   Instead of being caught in the rush, why not be caught prepared?

This current situation should send a message to those who have not yet finished their preparation plans: finish your hurricane plan while you have time!