Brace for another hurricane season, experts warn
As the start of the six-month
"By having this conference and doing what you do, you have helped this state, in particular, respond in the right manner and get back to work quickly," Gov.
With the conference theme of "Readiness is Everyone's Job" in mind, meteorologists and emergency workers encouraged local government officials and the media to emphasize the need to be prepared for another potentially calamitous season. Weather experts from
The hurricane season officially starts
The 2017 hurricane season produced 17 named storms. Of those, 10 became hurricanes, including six major hurricanes and the first two major hurricanes to hit the continental
Graham credits the new watches and warnings with saving lives during the onslaught of major storms last season. There were no known fatalities from storm surge last season despite four hurricanes making landfall on
"Around 90 percent of fatalities from tropical systems is water," Graham said. "We have to talk water."
Storm surge, not wind, is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. At least 1,500 people died during Hurricane Katrina in 2005; many of those deaths occurred directly or indirectly as a result of storm surge, according to
Residents who live in a hurricane surge zone should evacuate when a storm threatens, but others quick to hit the road should think twice, said
"People mistakenly focus on the wind," Johnson said. "Over-evacuation creates a demand on every service that we have."
Hurricane Irma sparked the largest mass evacuation in
The evacuation inundated roads and hotels, used significant first responder resources and in some cases prevented fuel trucks from quickly reaching stations to restock the hot commodity.
In
"The biggest thing we're going to continue working on ... is right-sizing shelter staffing," Mayfield said. "Making sure we have the right partnerships in place from the county government to our volunteer agencies (and) volunteers we sign up and train throughout the year, so making sure we have shelter staffing appropriate to the levels we saw during Irma."
During Irma,
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator
"Insurance is the first line of defense, not
Any house can flood, as evidenced by damage Hurricane Harvey inflicted on
And governments should be prepared to feed and provide water to citizens for the first 48 to 72 hours following a natural disaster without relying on aid from
Last year,
___
(c)2018 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla.
Visit Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla. at www.heraldtribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Preckwinkle counters IG report on Cook hospitals, says system continues ‘to reform and modernize’
Foot Healers in St. Louis settles Medicare fraud charges over toenail clippings
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News