June 2008

Welcome to the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season...

We are now in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 until November 30. Now that we are in the season, it is more important than ever to prepare for what could come. That’s why it’s important to pick up your copy of the 2008 Surviving the Storm guide. While there may be several guides out there to choose from, the Surviving the Storm guide is the official guide of Pinellas County, addressing the special considerations of our very vulnerable county. Find the latest information on how to get ready for this year’s storms. From preparing your pet and family to preparing your car and home, you’ll find preparedness information in this guide you won’t find anywhere else. Pick up your copy at your local library, the county courthouse or your local city hall.

Some key preparation steps include:

• Find your evacuation level by calling (727) 453-3150 or visiting gis.pinellascounty.org/hurricane_txt.

• Assemble a survival kit that provides for your family’s needs for a minimum of one week.

• If you have to evacuate, find out now where you will be going should an order be issued.

• If you don’t have to evacuate, prepare shutters to protect your windows and brace your entry doors and garage door.

While the most active months of hurricane season are still to come, understand that a hurricane can spin up at any time. Check the weather forecast daily to stay on top of any tropical developments.

Storm Surge Still Kills

Given today’s weather satellites, powerful radars and access to instant communications, you would think that populations of vulnerable countries would be ready for the fierce effects a tropical storm can bring.

Yet, even with this advanced capability, powerful Cyclone Nargis (hurricanes are called cyclones in the Indian Ocean) made landfall in Myanmar, located on the shores of the Indian Ocean. United Nations observers on the ground have estimated the number of fatalities to exceed 100,000. Most of those were killed by the 12-foot storm surge that washed over the low-lying river delta area of the country.

What can we learn from this disaster? All tropical cyclones can still cause major disaster when the public is not aware of the threat that faces them. The people killed on the northern Gulf coast by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 didn’t believe they were in any danger from a storm surge.

That’s why it’s so important to know your evacuation zone, and evacuate when an order is given. Evacuation levels in Pinellas County are tied to anticipated storm surge values from different Saffir-Simpson categories of storms. For instance, an approaching category two storm would require an evacuation of levels A and B, plus everyone who lives in a mobile home.

Harden your home

What are the five best ways to improve the chances your home will survive a hurricane’s intense winds?

• Brace or replace your garage door. The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes discovered that 80% of the homes in south Florida that had major structural damage during Hurricane Andrew lost their garage doors first. Doors installed after 2002 must meet stringent wind codes. For older doors, bracing and retrofit kits can improve their survivability.

• Shutter your windows. Protecting your windows from wind-blown debris can increase your home’s survivability up to one Saffir-Simpson category higher. So, if your home can withstand a category two storm, shutters can bring it to a category three.

• Brace your trusses on gable roofs. Gable ends – the A-shaped walls at the end of some homes – are very vulnerable to wind damage. Bracing those gable ends and the trusses reduces the likelihood of a major structural failure.

• Secure the roof to wall connections. Hurricane straps that tie rafters or trusses to the outer walls of your home greatly improve the roof’s resistance to uplift in high winds.

• Replace your roof. State building codes now require secondary water protection over roof sheathing joints and high-wind rated roofing materials. Do not have the contractor place a new roof over an existing one.

For more information and step-by-step instructions on how to harden your home to withstand high winds, visit the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes at www.flash.org.

Don’t flounder when it comes to flood insurance

Flooding is considered the nation’s number one natural disaster. Flash floods, inland flooding and seasonal storms affect every region of this country, even outside designated high-risk flood zones on the map.  Recent statistics show that from 20 to 25 percent of all flood insurance claims are filed in low-to-moderate flood-risk areas.

Flood insurance is available through nearly 100 insurance companies in more than 20,200 participating communities nationwide – including Pinellas County. Everyone can purchase flood insurance – renters, business owners and homeowners. The average flood insurance policy costs around $500 a year. And in low- to moderate-risk areas, lower-cost Preferred Risk Policies (PRPs) start at just $112 a year, less than $10.00 per month.

Here are steps both renters and property owners can take to protect themselves and their financial security from flood-related damage:

• Find out your flood risk right now. Go to www.FloodSmart.gov, and enter your address in the one-step flood risk profile. Insurance agents can also help check your risk.

• Review your insurance policies and find out what they do and do not cover. Learn the difference between replacement cost coverage versus standard coverage, which only pays the actual cash value of insured property. Be sure that you have enough insurance to cover recent home renovations or improvements.

• Keep a written and visual (videotaped or photographed) record of all major household items and valuables, even those stored in basements, attics or garages. These documents are critically important when filing insurance claims.

• When threatened by floodwaters, move valuables and sentimental items to the highest floor of your home or business before evacuation. 

You can review more information about your insurance rights in the state of Florida by reading the Consumer Guide to Homeowner Insurance produced by the Florida Department of Financial Services.  The guide may be obtained by downloading it from the website at www.fldfs.com or by calling the toll free Consumer Helpline at (800)342-2762 and asking for a free copy to be mailed to your home. 

Stock up on Hurricane Preparedness Know-How

Hurricane season is now here, and it only takes one storm to make a bad season. Member libraries of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative will host a series of free, fun and informative sessions on how to prepare for the season. Those offerings are:

• Hurricane 101: What is a hurricane? How do they form? What are their effects? Get the basics on these dangerous tropical storms.

• Busting Hurricane Myths: Learn the dangers of some commonly held beliefs when hurricanes approach. Not only will you find the real story, you may also save your life if the big one comes.

• Hurricanes for Kids: Hurricane season can be a very frightening time for younger family members. By using experiments and easy-to-understand language, your youngsters can find some control over these scary situations.

The times, dates and locations for these information sessions are:

• June 3, 7 p.m. – Hurricane 101
  Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Ave., Dunedin (727) 298-3080

• June 4, 2 p.m. – Hurricane 101
  St. Pete Beach Library, 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach (727) 363-9238

• June 23, 7 p.m. – Hurricane 101
  Pinellas Park Public Library, 7770 52nd St., Pinellas Park (727) 541-0718

• June 24, 4 p.m. – Hurricanes for Kids
  St. Pete Beach Library, 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach (727) 363-9238

• June 25, 2 p.m. – Hurricanes for Kids
  Clearwater Main Library, 100 N. Osceola Ave., Clearwater (727) 562-4970

• July 9, 2 p.m. – Busting Hurricane Myths
  St. Pete Beach Library, 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach (727) 363-9238

• July 23, 10:30 a.m. – Hurricanes for Kids
  Tarpon Springs Public Library, 138 E. Lemon St., Tarpon Springs (727) 943-4922

Residents who would like to schedule a speaker for their church, civic group or business meetings can call Pinellas County’s Speakers Bureau at (727) 464-3000. Remember, knowledge is power. No one can do anything about the weather, but by knowing what to do when bad weather threatens, residents can gain control over their personal safety.

What does THAT mean?

Take a look at any report of an approaching hurricane, and the meteorologist will no doubt be talking about a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed. Just what does that mean, and why is it important to you?

In the areas of the globe monitored by the National Hurricane Center (the Atlantic basin and the eastern Pacific basin), meteorologists attempt to find the highest average wind speed for a one-minute period at an elevation of 10 meters (33 feet) above the ground.  In most other areas of the world, a 10 minute average period is used.

How are these wind speeds measured? Well, often times they are estimated and not directly measured. But increasingly, meteorologists have more tools at their disposal to help them determine how strong a storm is.

Anemometers: These wind gauges come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common ones are called cup anemometers. Unfortunately, anemometers typically fail in the high speed winds of a hurricane, giving only partial information. Anemometers are generally only available when a hurricane is making landfall or if a storm passes over a buoy in the ocean.

Doppler Radar: Besides doing the typical radar duty of detecting where rain is falling, these devices can measure the speed of wind blowing both toward and away from the antenna, giving very accurate measurements of wind speed.  The winds detected by the radar are a little above the surface and the readings must be adjusted to provide an accurate estimate of ground-level winds. You can learn more about the Doppler Effect here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/radar.htm.

Reconnaissance Aircraft Data: Reconnaissance aircraft can sample flight-level winds every few seconds which can be used to estimate surface winds in a hurricane. The aircraft also drops instruments called dropwindsondes that measure atmospheric pressure, winds and humidity from the level the aircraft is flying all the way down to the surface. These instruments can accurately measure the winds inside a hurricane’s eye wall.
The aircraft is also equipped with an instrument called the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer. Affectionately known as the Smurf, this device is attached to the wing of the P-3 and WC-130 aircraft that fly into hurricanes. It reads the microwave radiation coming off the wind-whipped sea surface. Yes, those are the same microwaves you find at home in the kitchen, but they are not powerful enough to pop a bag of popcorn. The faster the wind, the more energy the sea emits, giving researchers an extremely accurate reading of wind speed.  This device is standard equipment on all hurricane hunter aircraft starting this year and can measure winds all the way up to category 5 strength.

Satellites: When a storm is far from land, meteorologists estimate the maximum winds in a tropical storm or hurricane by looking at its cloud characteristics. This process is called the Dvorak technique, and – outside of the National Hurricane Center – is the sole way most tropical meteorologists estimate wind speed for these killer storms.