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Weather Service Predicts Another Severe Hurricane Season
Written by
Lesly C. Simmons
, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 — The chance of strong hurricanes hitting along the Atlantic coast of the United States is about 70 percent above normal for 2005, according to predictions from the National Weather Service issued last week. The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 and ends November 30.
The predictions are dire—the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service predicts 12 to15 tropical storms this year, with seven to nine becoming hurricanes and three to five of those becoming major hurricanes.
NASA's Aqua satellite shows Hurricane Frances over Florida on September 5, 2004. Credit: NASA |
The hurricane season has already gotten off to an early start with Hurricane Adrian hitting El Salvador in Central America last week as a Category One storm, with winds over 75 mph.
Still, despite least year’s disastrous hurricane season, a recent Red Cross survey found only the slightest increase in preparing a disaster kit or evacuation plan, among respondents in communities along the coasts in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
“Waiting until the last minute to prepare for a hurricane, or assuming that a major storm will not hit your community is a huge mistake,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Preparedness and Response for the American Red Cross. “We saw that last year when four major hurricanes in just six weeks devastated communities all across Florida and the Southeastern United States, with many people caught off-guard.”
Last year’s four major hurricanes—Jeanne, Frances, Ivan and Charley—led to the largest natural domestic disaster relief operation in the history of the American Red Cross.
In the months after the first hurricane hit Florida in mid-August 2004, the Red Cross opened more than 1,800 shelters and evacuation centers, provided shelter to more than 425,000 evacuees, served more than 11 million meals and snacks to victims and emergency responders, and started casework with more than 59,000 families affected by the hurricanes.
In the Pacific, a lower than normal hurricane season is expected, with two to four hurricanes predicted.
National Weather Service officials did caution that hurricane prediction is not an exact science, so residents should always follow the guidance of state and local officials for hurricane preparedness and evacuation information.
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 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 those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW 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.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
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