Despite the damage inflicted upon the Northeast in 2012 by super storm Sandy, the United States has not been hit by a land-falling major (CAT 3+) hurricane in more than 10 years - the last being Wilma in October of 2005.
While a welcomed lull, that's a lucky streak that won't go on forever, And the longer we go between big strikes, the less people tend to take the threat seriously.
Well over 50 million Americans live in susceptible coastal areas, while further inland many more are susceptible to inland flooding and spin-off tornadoes.
This past week has been Hurricane Preparedness Week, and FEMA, Ready.gov, and NOAA all are encouraging everyone living or working in hurricane vulnerable areas to take time to prepare for the upcoming season (June 1st - Nov 30th).
This from NOAA Weather Ready Nation.
It only takes one storm to change your life and community.
Tropical cyclones are among nature’s most powerful and destructive phenomena. If you live in an area prone to tropical cyclones, you need to be prepared. Even areas well away from the coastline can be threatened by dangerous flooding, destructive winds and tornadoes from these storms. The National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center issue watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather.
Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 15-21, 2016) is your time to prepare for a potential land-falling tropical storm or hurricane. Learn how with the daily tips below and related links. Share these with your friends and family to ensure that they're prepared.
Hurricane Preparedness Week
The National Weather Service has this advice for preparing for Hurricane Season.
If you are on Twitter, you should also follow @FEMA, @CraigatFEMA, @NHC_Atlantic, @NHC_Pacific and@ReadyGov.
While living in a Hurricane zone requires extra planning, no matter where you live or work, you need to think about potential threats and how you will deal with them should one emerge.
If not hurricanes, you may have to deal with blizzards, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods . . . even terrorist attacks, or a pandemic.
Beyond having the basic skills and supplies for you and your family, I would strongly urge that you cultivate a network of `disaster buddies ’ (see In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?) among your friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors.
While being prepared doesn't guarantee a good outcome for you and your family, it certainly improves your odds. To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community, I would invite you to visit the following preparedness sites.
AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/
And for more on increasing your level of preparedness, you might want to check out: