Get Ready for Hurricane Season

With that record-breaking hurricane season a couple of seasons ago, and then much-ado-about-nothing (for the most part) after a big build up last year in the news, this year looks like shaping up to be a real doozy! So I was curious to find out more about where hurricanes come from, especially why one year is so much different than another year for severe weather. And also what we should be doing to prepare for a hurricane or other big storms. Browsing in Chapters I came across a pocket-sized book that covers everything you wanted to know about hurricanes... but didn't know who to ask. Hurricanes: What You Need to Know is a nifty little guidebook that anyone within striking distance of a hurricane should read...and heed. It's got interesting (to me) scientific stuff about how they form, storm tracks, how they're named, and how they're categorized. It's also loaded with practical things to do to prepare for a hurricane, from protecting your home and family, making evacuation plans and checklists, to dealing with the aftermath if the worst should happen. When Hurricane Season begins... Verify the telephone numbers and personal information of everyone on the plan. Print updated copies of the emergency plan for all the members of your family, your children's school, and other frequently-used facilities. Change the batteries in your flashlights and portable radio, and replace the spare batteries. Replenish your emergency kits. Replace the bottled water, ensure that all food is still safe to eat, and check that medicines have not expired. Good practical steps that people in Hurricane-prone areas take every year as a matter course, right? Apparently not. I couldn't believe it when I read Broderick Perkins' story last year on the 2006 hurricane season forecast (Outer Banks Sentinel): A poll of 1,277 residents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia recently conducted by Elon, NC-based Institute for Politics and Public Affairs at Elon University found that 57 percent had done nothing to prepare for the hurricane season. Can you imagine? Right on the heels of that Hurricane Katrina and the rest! Elon also found only 18 percent had taken basic hurricane preparedness steps including purchasing bottled water, canned food, batteries or preparing a hurricane survival kit. Only 7 percent had prepared their home for a hurricane by making upgrades or installing safety shutters or doors. I've never had to worry much about hurricanes here... but with global warming, it's not out of the question anymore. Although I don't live in a high-risk hurricane area, we've seen our fair share of major winter blows as well as an increasing number of borderline tornados within a hundred mile radius of our country home. High winds and torrential rain are a disturbing phenomena - mostly because there's little we can do to protect ourselves or our home once the storm arrives on our doorstep. My guidebook will probably live in the downstairs bathroom, where I can grab it and tuck into our emergency kit if we're ever forced to head for the hills.