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Wilma, 21st Named Storm of 2005 Hurricane Season, Gains Strength
Written by
Lesly Simmons
, Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 — Earlier this year weather experts predicted that the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season would be one of the busiest storm seasons the United States has ever seen, and the development of Wilma in the Atlantic Ocean continues to prove them right.
NOAA satellite image shows Tropical Storm Wilma forming in the northwestern Caribbean. Wilma, the 21st storm of the Atlantic season, now has reached maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 Hurricane.
(Photo Credit: NOAA)
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Hurricane Wilma is the 21st named storm of the year, a record not seen since 1933. With Wilma’s formation, the National Weather Service has exhausted its list of names for the 2005 hurricane season. Any more tropical storms or hurricanes that develop this season will be named using the Greek alphabet, starting with Alpha.
Tropical Storm Wilma formed in the Caribbean Sea yesterday. It is moving slowly northwest and is gaining strength and intensity. Having just been upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane, Wilma now has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph with some higher gusts.
Based on its present position, officials are advising residents in Florida and the Gulf Coast areas to monitor the progress of the storm over the next several days and take steps to be prepared. Although too soon to accurately predict, some projections suggest Wilma could make landfall in the southern U.S. as soon as this coming weekend.
If and when Wilma approaches the U.S., the American Red Cross urges residents in its potential path to heed all warnings by local officials about the storm. Residents in all hurricane-prone areas should start to prepare now for the possibility of another hurricane by following some of these basic steps:
Prepare an Evacuation Plan
- Identify ahead of time where you could go, if instructed to evacuate. Choose several places such as a friend or family member's home in another town, a motel or a emergency shelter.
- Keep the telephone numbers for these places as well as a road map of handy. You may need to take alternative or unfamiliar routes if major roads are closed or clogged.
- Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Take these items when evacuating:
- Disaster supplies kit
- Prescription medications and medical supplies
- Car keys and maps
- Important documents including driver’s license, Social Security card, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, tax records, etc.
- Any family evacuation plan should include an evacuation plan for family pets.
Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit
- First aid kit and essential medications
- Extra pairs of glasses or contact lenses
- Canned food and can opener
- At least three gallons of water per person
- Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags
- Battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries
- Special items for infants, elderly or disabled family members and any family pets
- Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas and water, if advised to do so by authorities (remember, a professional may need to be called to turn them back on)
- An extra copy of your family's emergency contact list or card
Make a Family Communications Plan
According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted in cooperation with the Red Cross that included 1,510 respondents who had sought shelter with the Red Cross, four in 10 of those responding were still separated from a family member and 15 percent did not know the current location of some family members. The poll, which was conducted by telephone between September 30 and October 9, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, underlines the importance of making a family communications plan.
While the Red Cross “Family Links Registry” can help reconnect loved ones separated after evacuating an affected area, the Red Cross says that creating a family communications plan in advance is still the best way to maintain contact with loved ones before and after a disaster strikes.
- Maintaining contact with loved ones inside the affected area:
- Plan ahead for the possibility of becoming separated from your family and friends.
Because local phone lines may be out of service or overloaded after a disaster, it's often easier to call out of the area.
- Designate a single out-of-town contact that each family or household member can call or e-mail should a disaster occur. Your selected contact should live far enough away that they would be unlikely to be directly affected by the same event. They should be aware that they are the chosen contact.
- All of your loved ones should have the phone number for the contact as well as each other's phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Loved ones should agree to call the out-of-town contact to report their whereabouts and welfare. Consider having a laminated wallet-sized card made to carry with you at all times.
- Many people overwhelm telephone lines when emergencies happen. Family and friends should remember that if telephone lines are busy or not working, they need to be patient and try again later. Or, they may try sending e-mail or text messages, if those options are available, since these are sometimes able to get through when calls cannot.
- Regular contact with your designated person will help to keep them informed of your well-being.
- As calls or e-mails are received by the out-of-town contact from family members affected by the disaster, there will be peace of mind that comes from knowing that everyone is safe.
- Evacuees maintaining contact with loved ones outside the affected area:
- Make an emergency contact card.
- Write contact information including name, home, work and cell phone numbers and e-mail address. Be sure to include the out-of-town contact on the card as well.
- Make a copy of the card for each loved one to carry with them in the event of a disaster or other emergency.
- Place a call to family and friends before a disaster strikes to let them know your plans and as soon as possible after disaster strikes to notify them of your whereabouts.
Preparing for a hurricane ahead of time can help alleviate the stress during the storm, and ease the burden on family and loved ones afterwards.
For more information regarding how individuals and families can prepare for disasters, visit the “Get Prepared” section on www.redcross.org and be sure to download a printable "Hurricane Evacuation Checklist," available as a web page or PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
To track Wilma’s progress, visit the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov.
Additional information for this story was provided by Fran Kritz, a freelance writer from Silver Spring, Md., working with the Disaster Public Affairs unit at Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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