Hurricane Preparedness Blog

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.

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. 

Flooding is the nation’s #1 natural disaster. Are you prepared?

The recent flooding in the mid-west has drawn the nation’s attention to a disaster of epic proportions. Many who thought they were safe from the rising waters found themselves evacuating on short notice, then returning to damaged or destroyed homes.

Now more than ever I would encourage each of you to quickly look up the flood risk of your own home, then take appropriate action to prepare. Let’s start that process by checking out FloodSmart.gov.

I begin by simply entering my address on the left, then click GO to lookup my risk.

In return I am told that this property is at HIGH Risk and that I am in or near a Special Flood Area. What does that mean?

A Special Flood Area is a FEMA-identified high-risk flood zone where flood insurance is mandatory for properties - having special flood, mudflow, or flood-related erosion hazards. In other words - there’s no question I’m at high risk.

Other values that could have been returned are, for example, Zone A, a 26% chance of flooding over a 30 year period. Naturally each location will have it’s own factors in determining the risk.

Now what should you do with this information? If your risk is High, it is strongly recommended that you purchase Flood Insurance for your property and create a family disaster plan. You can learn about your insurance options at OneStorm and at FloodSmart.gov as well. If you are in a Low to Moderate risk area, it’s not safe to assume that you’re out of the woods on this one. See how many times you can count the phrase, “I was told I wasn’t in a flood zone, so I didn’t worry about it” during recent TV coverage of the mid-west floods.

The message here is not of doom and gloom, but rather of educating yourself on the hazards that surround you. I believe you’ll find the valuable information you need at FloodSmart.gov to assess what your risk is and learn how to keep safe.

I’ll leave you with a screenshot of a Flood Damage Cost Estimator on just 2 inches of water to illustrate that there’s no such thing as a “little flood.” Try the tool yourself - it gets pretty surprising if you drag the height of the water above 2 inches.