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Residents Warned to Prepare for Busy Hurricane Season
With hurricane hunter and rescue aircraft as the backdrop, officials of the National Weather Service gathered at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport on May 23 to announce their prediction of 13 to 17 named storms for the 2007 hurricane season, with seven to 10 of them becoming major storms with Category 3 winds or higher.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center projected a 75% chance that the Atlantic season will be above normal this year.
In previewing preparedness for the approaching hurricane season, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff emphasized that all storm responses are initially state and local issues but that the federal government is prepared to respond with a set of tools never before assembled, including new communication equipment, more ready supplies and even the ability to more rapidly register and track potentially displaced storm victims.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator R. David Paulison said that his concern is that citizens are being too complacent in preparing for hurricanes, and he cited instances where last year individuals had taken no precautions and were overwhelmed when a hurricane changed path and rapidly engulfed their community.
Paulison encouraged citizens living in storm-prone areas to prepare a disaster kit. Residents should have on hand a supply of non-perishable food and water to sustain their family up to 72 hours or longer, he said. The kits should also include first-aid supplies, prescription medicines and other important personal items.
Residents should have an evacuation plan, and should be prepared to deal with pets in case evacuation is necessary.
To access FEMA materials for preparing for the 2007 hurricane season “because being prepared is everyone’s responsibility,” click here.
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