Our Observation

It’s the same every year: the prediction for an “above-normal hurricane season.” And then nothing notable happens.

This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts 12-18 named storms, six to 10 of which could become hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5). The seasonal average is 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes, according to the NOAA website.

With prediction patterns like this, it’s no surprise that so many people remain unprepared each June when hurricane season begins.

But preparing is actually quite simple. Buying a few extra canned goods during grocery store visits, keeping a case of bottled water in the back of the pantry, picking up some extra batteries and a flashlight during the next trip to the hardware store, and checking out the local agency’s emergency response plan online during the next web-surfing session is all that’s necessary to be in good standing for the next big storm.

But considering how calm and quiet the last few hurricane seasons have been, even these small steps in preparation seem unjust, even a little rash.

And maybe we don’t need to think so far in advance nowadays. With so much new technology, the public is hyper-aware of what’s going on in the community, the region, the country and the world. In fact, NOAA recently announced that it will start tweeting the appearances of tropical cyclones, updates on the cyclones, position estimates and tropical weather outlooks. Not on Twitter? You can also sign up for email alerts from NOAA.

NOAA isn’t the only outlet jumping on social networking sites to send out hurricane and other weather advisories. Officials say that every state’s emergency management agency has a presence on Twitter and about half are on Facebook. Evidenced by the response to the 103 tornadoes that swept through Alabama in April, killing 241 people, emergency responders have gotten quicker since large-scale natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which hit in 2005. So if help is always just around the corner and we’re not hunkering down for weeks at a time, our need for that backup generator doesn’t seem so great anymore.

Historically, it takes a devastating weather event to wake up the public and get people to care about being prepared. Now that Central Florida has gone a few years unscathed by hurricanes, people become complacent about getting prepared. But the next time you’re in the grocery store and the thought of buying a few more cans of black beans makes you feel borderline paranoid, think of the long lines that await those who get supplies at the last minute and, even worse, the price gouging that plagues desperate shoppers.

It never hurt anyone to be too prepared.