National Hurricane Preparedness Week
Hurricane season is officially here: May through November. The dreaded storm “hurricane” got its name from “hurracane,” a Taino Native American word that means “evil spirit of the wind.” However, it is only called a hurricane in North America; in Asia, it is designated as a “typhoon,” and elsewhere as a “tropical cyclone.”
We know that hurricanes are getting worse; due to climate change and rising sea levels, hurricane-related storm surges are increasing. The goal of preparedness week is to save lives and property by providing information and tools that people can use to prepare and protect themselves.
An excellent resource is the National Hurricane Center site on Twitter. During active storms, they provide regular updates regarding storm location and status. This week they are posting helpful information to help you prepare. I’ll share a few topics, but I encourage you to look at it every day this week and bookmark the page for future knowledge.
The first thing to do is to determine your risk. If you live in Kansas or Oklahoma, your concern is tornados. Others along the coastal USA need to consider whether they could be in the hurricane’s path or its sequelae. And more specifically, the impact of these hazards.
Next, if you determine you and your family are at risk, you need to develop an Evacuation Plan.
With COVID still lingering in the background, consider how you can stay safe if going to a public disaster shelter is your plan. The link will take you to the CDC for their recommendations.
The following chart, and this link to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), will help you plan for your hurricanes and your safe evacuation.
Are you at risk from a hurricane? Have you made plans to secure your property, weather the storm and its aftermath at home, or evacuate with your family and pets?
