The hurricane season will be upon us shortly and it is wise to begin preparations for all consequences associated with these catastrophic events. Timely and proper planning will avoid much of the stress resulting from hurricane damage and may well avoid injury and loss of life.

The Hurricane Season

Many people do not realize that the hurricane season is lengthy and spans the six month period from June 1 to December 1 each year. The frequency of major storms has been escalating recently in cycles that increase and decrease over 10 to 20 year periods. Most weather forecasters acknowledge that we are presently in a cycle of increased hurricane activity with the potential for as many as 15-17 named storms forecasted in 2006.

Areas of Risk

Hurricanes and tropical storms are a worldwide phenomenon. The storms affecting the United States and the Caribbean are called hurricanes while the storms in the Pacific are called typhoons and tropical storms in the Indian Ocean are designated tropical cyclones. Low lying coastal areas are at increased risk but inland areas as far as 200-300 miles can still suffer heavy damage. In the United States the coastal areas of the Southeast are at risk and all areas of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have historically seen extensive storm damage; areas as far north as Massachusetts and Rhode Island have suffered direct hurricane hits. In 2006, at least one major storm is forecasted to hit the Middle Atlantic and Northeast states.

Hurricanes are Serious Events

Anyone who has experienced a hurricane will attest to the fact that these are serious weather events.

Hurricanes are ranked from category 1 (sustained winds in excess of 78mph) to category 5 (sustained winds in excess of 155mph); even a category 1 storm can create extensive damage. Damage from wind, flooding and storm surges can destroy buildings and cause widespread flood damage. By far the most serious cause of impairment however, is the storm surge created by wind pressure and wave action. Storm surges as high as 30 feet are not uncommon in major storms.

In 2005 a category 3 storm (Katrina) destroyed a large portion of New Orleans and, notwithstanding substantial Federal Government aid, the area has yet to recover. In 2004 a deadly category 5 storm (Ivan) destroyed many of the homes and buildings on a number of islands in the Caribbean and the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. Ivan was particularly dangerous with 24 hours of sustained winds of 165 mph and wind gusts recorded as high as 207mph. With a storm surge of over 20 feet, approximately 1/3 of a particular island was covered by water and disappeared from radar as the storm passed.

Hurricanes generally result in at least some loss of life both at sea and on land even for relatively minor storms, however major storms can be much more devastating. At the turn of the twentieth century, an unnamed storm took the lives of between 6,000 to 10,000 people in Galveston, Texas. The worst recorded loss of life resulted from a tropical cyclone that hit East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) with over 200,000 lives lost.

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