What to do before, during and after the hurricane

Before hurricane season begins...

• Know the hurricane risk in your area, e.g. determine whether you live in a potential flood zone
• Learn Safe routes inland
• Find out where official Shelters are located
• Develop a family hurricane action plan, know your evacuation routes, know where you would go and how would you get there.
  
• Review working condition of emergency equipment, such as flashlights and battery powered radios
• Ensure you have enough non perishable food and water supplies on hand, if you don't then stock up on the no persihable foods, drinking water, batteries, diapers and formula for infants and pet food for animals, click on the Emergency Kit link on the side bar to know more .
  
• Buy Plywood shutters to protect doors and windows
• If you are physically or mentally disabled, dependant on special medical equipment, have transportation needs or are faced with some other circumstances that will make hurricane evcuation difficult, you can pre register with your city or countys office of emergency management.
• Create an emergency communication list in case you are seperated from your family and friends. include all your home, work, school, and cell numbers and exchange lists with family, friends and neighbours. Keep the lists at home, at work and in your cars. In addition, designate a contact person who lives outside the area for everyone to reach in case of evacuation
• Keep a small supply of cash on hand. Banks may be closed and ATMs may be inoperable during a storm
• Make sure you have enough prescription medicins to outlast a storm and its aftermath. Refill your first aid kit
• Take inventory of your valuables and your home, make a vieo or take photos or keep a list of all valuables
• Double Check your insurance coverage for
  

1. Hurricane Coverage - If you want it, you need to get it now because you cannot get it once a storm comes
2. Flood Insurance- If your insurance company doesn't offer it, the federal government does, but it will not go into effect untill 30 days after you have paid for it

When a hurricane threatens...

• Frequently listen to radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio for official bulletons of the storm progress
• Fuel and Service family vehicles, you may need to evacuate quickly and /or sit in traffic for hours. Service stations may also become inoperable.
  
• Have extra cash on hand
• Prepare to cover all windows and doors with shutters or other shielding materials
• Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first aid supplies, drinking water and medicine. Stock up drinking water in clean containers, bathtubs, bottles, pots etc, water supplies may become contaminated
• Move valuables, personal papers, family photos and important computer disks to a waterproof container on the highest level of your home or pack them to take with you.
  
• Secure outdoor objects that may be blown away, store them inside
• If in a mobile home, check tie downs and evacuate. Historically, mobile homes suffer the greatest amount of damage in the hurricane
  

Plan to leave if you...

• Live in a mobile home, they are unsafe in high winds no matter how well fastened to the ground.
• Live on the coastline, an offshore Island, or near a river or a flood plain.
• Live in a high rise building.
  

If you have to evacuate...

• Make sure your gas tank is full
• Prepare your vehicle for what could be a very long ride. Stock your vehicle with necessities such as water, food, pillows, blankets, toilet paper, current maps, baby supplies, pet supplies, prescription medicine and cash.
• Bring proof of residency- your drivers license, a utility bill or rent receipt - incase if you need Red Cross or FEMA assistance
• Take your emergency kit with you.
  

When in a Warning area...

• Listen closely to radio, TV or NOAA Weather radio for official bulletins
• Complete preparation activities such as putting up storm shulters, storing loose objects etc.
• Follow instructions issued by local officials. Leave immediately if told to do so.
• Leave mobile homes

During a hurricane...

• Stay away from windows, sylights and glass dorrs even if they are boarded or covered
• Stay on the floor that is least likely to be affected by strong winds and floodwaters. A small interior room without windows on the first floor is usually the safest place
• Beware of the eye of hurricane. If the calm storm center passes directly overhead, there will be a lull in the wind that can last up to half an hour. Winds will then rise again to hurricane force.
• Turn refrigerator to its coldest setting and keep closed
• Turn off the utilities if told to do so by authorities
• Turn off propane tanks
• Unplug small appliances
• Fill bathtub and large containers with water for sanitary purposes

Be Alert for...

• Tornadoes, They aer often spawned by hurricanes.
• The Calm "eye" of the storm. It may seem like to storm is over but after the eye passes, the winds will change direction and quickly return to hurricane force
• Storm surge Flooding. These high waves can be more deadly then the hurricane winds. Leave the coast and stay away from low lying areas, creeks, streams and other inland waterways
  

After the hurricane...

• Listen to radio, TV or NOAA Wheather radio
• Keep abreast of road conditions through the media. Wait untill an area is declared safe before entering.
• Do not attempt to drive across flowing water. As little as 6" of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle, 2-feet of water will carry most cars away
• If you see water flowing across a roadway, TURN AROUND AND GO OTHER WAY. Many people have been killed or injured driving through flooded roadways or around barricades. Roads are closed for your protection
• Stay away from moving water.
• Do not allow children, especially under age 13 to play in flooded areas. They often drown or are injured in areas appearing safe.
• If someone needs to be rescued, call professionals with the right equipment to elp. Many people have been killed or injured trying to rescue others in flooded areas
• Stay away from standing water, It may be elecrically charged from underground or drowned power lines
• Have professionals check gas, water and electrical lines and appliances for damage
• If you smell gas, leave your house and call your gas supplier
  
• Use a flashlight for emergency lighting, Never use candles or open flames indoors
• Use tap water for drinking and cooking ONLY when local officials say it is safe to do so
• Take photos of any damage, both of building and their contents, for insurance claims. Mae minor repairs to prevent further damage or looting, but do not do major repairs or dispose of damage property untill it has been inspected by adjuster. Save all receipts.
• If your power has gone out , open refrigerators and freezers only when necessary. A freezer without power can keep food in satisfactory conditions up to 36 hours if it is kept closed. Wrapping the freezer in blankets will help insulate it
• Call your insurance company if you have vehicle or property damage to report
  
• If a hurricane forces you into a public shelter, stay there untill told by local officials that it is safe to return to your home
• 
  

Hurricane Scale

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on the hurricane intensity. This scale estimates potential property damage. Hurricanes reaching category 3 and higher are considered Major hurricanes because of their potential for loss of life and damage. Category 1 and 2 storms are still very dangerous and warrant preventative measures.

This animated illustration would show you the impact of the damage of hurricane based on the catetory

http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/hurricanes/index_categories.html

The scale was formulated in 1969 by Herbert Saffir, a consulting engineer, and Dr. Bob Simpson, director of the National Hurricane Center. The World Meteorological Organization was preparing a report on structural damage to dwellings due to windstorms, and Dr. Simpson added information about storm surge heights that accompany hurricanes in each category.

Category	Winds	Effects
One	74-95 mph	No real damage to building structures. Damage primarly to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage
Two	96-110 mph	Some roofing material, door, and window damage to buildings. Considerable damage to vegetation, mobile homes, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings.
Three	111-130 mph	Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Mobile homes are destroyed. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 feet ASL may be flooded inland 8 miles or more.
Four	131-155 mph	More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof strucutre failure on small residences. Major erosion of beach. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain continuously lower than 10 feet ASL may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas inland as far as 6 miles.
Five	greater than 155 mph	Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 feet ASL and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5 to 10 miles of the shoreline may be required.

What is a hurricane

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone -an organised rotating weather system that develops in the tropics. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisohere.

Hurricanes are products of a tropical ocean and warm, moist atmosphere. Powered by heat from the sea, they are typcally steered by high level easterly winds while in the tropics. When hurricanes become very strong, they can create their own steering winds.

In North America, we call a storm that results from these conditions a hurricane. In other parts of the world, a hurricane is known by other names, including "typhoon" in the Western North Pacific and "tropical cyclone" in the Indian Ocean and the Western South Pacific

Hurricanes are most common during the summer and early fall. In the Atlantic and the Northeast Pacific, for example, August and September are the peak hurricane months. Typhoons occur throughout the year in the Northwest Pacific but are most frequent in summer. In the North Indian Ocean, tropical cyclones strike in May and November. In the South Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, and off the coast of Australia, the hurricane season runs from December to March. Approximately 85 hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones occur in a year throughout the world.

The life of a hurricane

Meteorologists (scientists who study weather) divide the life of a hurricane into four stages: (1) tropical disturbance, (2) tropical depression, (3) tropical storm, and (4) hurricane.

Tropical disturbance is an area where rain clouds are building. The clouds form when moist air rises and becomes cooler. Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air can, and the excess water changes into tiny droplets of water that form clouds. The clouds in a tropical disturbance may rise to great heights.

Tropical depression is a low-pressure area surrounded by winds that have begun to blow in a circular pattern. A meteorologist considers a depression to exist when there is low pressure over a large enough area to be plotted on a weather map. It is an organised system of presistent clouds and thunderstorms with a closed low-level circulation and maximum sustained winds of 38 mph or less.

When the winds exceed 38 miles (61 kilometers) per hour, a tropical storm has developed. Viewed from above, the storm clouds now have a well-defined circular shape. The seas have become so rough that ships must steer clear of the area. The strong winds near the surface of the ocean draw more and more heat and water vapor from the sea. The increased warmth and moisture in the air feed the storm.

When the winds exceed 38 miles (61 kilometers) per hour, a tropical storm has developed. Viewed from above, the storm clouds now have a well-defined circular shape. The seas have become so rough that ships must steer clear of the area. The strong winds near the surface of the ocean draw more and more heat and water vapor from the sea. The increased warmth and moisture in the air feed the storm. Each tropical storm receives a name. The names help meteorologists and disaster planners avoid confusion and quickly convey information about the behavior of a storm.

A storm achieves hurricane status when its winds exceed 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. By the time a storm reaches hurricane intensity, it usually has a well-developed eye at its center. Surface pressure drops to its lowest in the eye. The hurricane draws large amounts of heat and moisture from the sea.

Hurricanes last an average of 3 to 14 days. A long-lived storm may wander 3,000 to 4,000 miles, typically moving over the sea at speeds of 10 to 20 miles per hour.

Hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere usually begin by traveling from east to west. As the storms approach the coast of North America or Asia, however, they shift to a more northerly direction.

All hurricanes eventually move toward higher latitudes where there is colder air, less moisture, and greater wind shears. These conditions cause the storm to weaken and die out. The end comes quickly if a hurricane moves over land, because it no longer receives heat energy and moisture from warm tropical water. Heavy rains may continue, however, even after the winds have diminished.