Hurricane
Backgrounder
Back
to hurricane background and preparedness information
Note: Katrina and the 2004
Florida storms will change some of this info on
this page.
Hurricanes
exist to move heat away from the tropics
EMERGENCY
INFORMATION
-
The
74 to 160 mile per hour winds of a hurricane
can extend inland for hundreds of miles. Hurricanes
can spawn tornadoes, which add to the destructiveness
of the storm. Floods and flash floods generated
by torrential rains also cause damage and loss
of life. Following a hurricane, inland streams
and rivers can flood and trigger landslides
.
-
When
a hurricane watch is issued, the best response
is to protect your property by boarding up windows,
bringing in outside items, and being prepared
to evacuate the areas as soon as officials so
advise.
-
Even
more dangerous than the high winds of a hurricane
is the storm surge-- a dome of ocean water that
can be 20 feet at its peak and 50 to 100 miles
wide. The surge can devastate coastal communities
as it sweeps ashore. Nine out of 10 hurricane
fatalities are attributable to the storm surge.
DANGER
ZONES
Areas
in the United States vulnerable to hurricanes include
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Texas to Maine,
the territories in the Caribbean, and tropical areas
of the western Pacific, including Hawaii, Guam,
American Samoa, and Saipan
WHAT
IS A HURRICANE?
A
hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that have
reached a constant speed of 74 miles per hour or
more. Hurricane winds blow in a large spiral around
a relative calm center known as the "eye."
The "eye" is generally 20 to 30 miles
wide, and the storm may extend outward 400 miles.
As a hurricane approaches, the skies will begin
to darken and winds will grow in strength. As a
hurricane nears land, it can bring torrential rains,
high winds, and storm surges. A single hurricane
can last for more than 2 weeks over open waters
and can run a path across the entire length of the
eastern seaboard. August and September are peak
months during the hurricane season, that lasts from
June 1 through November 30.
WHAT
DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A HURRICANE
1.
Warm ocean water with a temperature of 80 degrees
F or higher, to a depth of about 200 feet. This
is the "fuel", created by evaporation
of tremendous amounts of sea water into the atmosphere.
2. Moist, unstable air rising in columns
so that clouds and eventually showers and thunderstorms
can form.
3. Light winds in the upper atmosphere blowing
in the same direction.
HELP
YOUR COMMUNITY GET READY
The
media can raise awareness about hurricanes by providing
important information to the community. Here are
some suggestions:
- Publish
a special section of your local newspaper with
emergency information on hurricanes. Localize
the information by printing the phone numbers
of local emergency services offices, the American
Red Cross, and hospitals.
- Provide
hurricane tracking charts to local schools.
- Work
with local emergency services and American Red
Cross officials to prepare special reports for
people with mobility impairments on what to
do if an evacuation is ordered.
- Stage
a simulated evacuation to show your community
what can happen.
- Periodically
inform your community of local public warning
systems.
DID
YOU KNOW
In
less than a 4 week period in 1992, two major hurricanes
hit the United States leaving an unprecedented array
of devastation. First Hurricane Andrew pounded Florida
and Louisiana to become the most expensive natural
disaster in U.S. history with damage estimates in
the range of $15 billion to $30 billion. Then 3
weeks later, Hurricane Iniki affected three Hawaiian
islands resulting in over $1 billion in damage,
particularly in Kauai.
Eighteen
of the 54 direct deaths attributed to Hurricane
Andrew occurred during the recovery phase. Of those
identified, eight were stress-induced heart attacks,
three were either people falling in damaged buildings
or hit by debris while cleaning up, and two were
children who died in fires in damaged homes.
On
the average, 10 tropical cyclones develop in the
North Atlantic each year. Of these, six may strengthen
to hurricane proportion, of which two are likely
to strike the coast of the United States.
Hurricane
winds in the northern hemisphere circulate in a
counterclockwise motion around the hurricane's center
or "eye," while hurricane winds in the
southern hemisphere circulate clockwise.
The
Galveston, Texas, hurricane in 1900 was the natural
disaster that resulted in the most deaths in United
States history. This hurricane took 6,000 lives.
