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Hurricane Season Opens With Predictions for Severe Storms
Written by
Lesly Hallman
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, June 01, 2004 — The 2004 hurricane season opens today with weather experts predicting one of the worst weather seasons in years, and the Red Cross urges the public, especially those in hurricane-prone areas, to take stock and get ready now for possible storms.
According to a recent Red Cross poll, only 40 percent of hurricane-prone communities are prepared for such a storm, and nearly 60 percent of residents in those areas do not have an evacuation plan or a disaster supplies kit.
“While most people are not prepared for hurricane season, there’s still time to pull together a plan and a kit,” said Joe Becker, Vice President of Response, American Red Cross. “Please take an hour out of your day to layout an emergency plan with your family and throw together a disaster supplies kit with everything you need. Preparing brings peace-of-mind.”
A homeowner surveys his devastated property in North Carolina after Hurricane Isabel. |
Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 and typically affects areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in the United States. In the past five years, communities from Texas to Connecticut have been devastated by Hurricanes Floyd, Isidore, Lili and Isabel.
- Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 forced the largest peacetime evacuation in United States history. The Red Cross responded with $32.9 million in aid to victims from Florida to Connecticut.
- Hurricane Lili and Tropical Storm Isidore in October 2002 prompted 6,000 Red Cross relief workers to respond by sheltering 20,820 evacuees and providing mental health counseling for 10,000 people in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
- Hurricane Isabel in September 2003 wreaked havoc in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, causing more than 51,000 people to seek refuge in 400 Red Cross shelters. More than 20,000 Red Cross disaster relief workers delivered 2.2 million meals and distributed more than 21,000 clean-up kits to those in need.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-normal hurricane season for 2004. According to a press release NOAA is expecting between 12 and 15 tropical storms, with six to eight of them becoming hurricanes. Last year three hurricanes hit the U.S.
The Red Cross recommends the following safety tips to be prepared in case of a hurricane:
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