Hurricanes don’t depend on numbers
I just read an article on the ‘discussion’ of 2007 hurricane numbers and the hurricane predictions and how they should have possibly been classified. I know that from a scientific perspective the statistics are very important. For many who have even informally studied hurricanes it is important.
My concern is for all those who do not study hurricanes. There are many who will say “hey all this talk about hurricanes and hurricane preparedness is a bunch of (*&*^ stuff!” and will not heed the advice for hurricane preparation. This winter we have had more tornados than I can ever remember. Even if we do not have many if any hurricanes in 2008, go ask the folks in Arkansas about their view of disaster preparation or those who have their homes flooded out I other parts of the country. They will tell you that a disaster is a disaster when the house is so damaged is not livable or is completely blown away by a tornado funnel or a pelting rain and wind event called a hurricane. Being prepared for any disaster at any time is important and a real blessing when a terrible situation occurs.
I’m concerned that we want to point fingers and play guessing games with the hurricane prediction issues than to prepare for a real possibility of some sort of a disaster occurring that affect even one of us. I don’t want to be Chicken Little with a cry that the sky is falling. That sort of mentality is certainly not helpful.
What I want is responsible citizenship where ALL of us are prepared for a disaster no matter what kind it is. We can’t depend on the government, local or even national charities to help no matter how sympathetic and charitable everyone is.
The reality is that each person and household needs to take responsibility for their own personal well being. I have already heard complaints that it will cost more this year to prepare for a disaster than it did last year or the year before. Well yes it WILL and DOES cost more and with a possible – present recession looking at us in the face and rising food prices it only makes sense to prepare BEFORE the prices get any higher. Common sense rules!!
With home prices down, the home building supplies are much less expensive than in 2005 - 2006 so take advantage of that and get your plywood for the windows or have installed the hurricane shutters if you live on the Gulf or Atlantic waterways. Many a person with exceptional building skills is looking for work now days. This is a good time to get a fair price for what is necessary to protect your home.
The cheap easy to store foods are also going up in price, just like everything else. Rice in many areas is increasing significantly. In some countries the price has already doubled in the past year. Beans and of course wheat has jump in price beyond our experience in recent years. Still considering the price of other things, the prices are still low for many, particularly in North America. Try to purchase the things that can last for a long time even years such as canned foods, beans and rice and put them aside. They will not go bad if stored correctly and they can come in handy when the grocery stores have a run on their supplies with lines around the block or have empty shelves.
Imagine how handy 8-10 rolls extra rolls of toilet paper or a couple jars of peanut butter will be if a moderate to serious disaster occurs. Over the counter (OTC) medications can be bought in smaller sizes that can be very helpful if there is a disaster in your area. A bottle of pain relievers sure can come in very handy when the head is aching and the body is sore from a major clean up after a storm and a neighbor’s tree is imbedded in the roof!
Electronics such as hand cranked radios and flashlights are going to go up due to shipping charges if nothing else. These will last a very long time and will come in handy more than once in their lifetime if taken care of properly. Get them and your other hurricane supplies now so you will have them on hand. Oh yea don’t forget a carton of matches stored in a water-proof zipped plastic bag.
Trying to figure out if the weather classifications were accurate etc is like counting angel wings on the head of a pin, harder, useless and unproductive than even counting the angles themselves! People need to stop being bean counters pointing fingers and start being proactive responsible members of this world community and begin collecting beans, rice, tuna, bottled water and all other shelf safe food items and other emergency preparedness necessities and get those disaster kits ready for hurricane season 2008. If we don’t have to use them than thank the Divine Power above and if you do need to use the hurricane supplies, than again say ‘thank you’ since you will be more ready and much safer than if you were not prepared.
Either way you win!
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Be Safe
Terrie
www.trainforahurricane.com
Dr. Terrie Modesto, PhD, author of Train For A Hurricane is an international expert in dying, death, loss and critical incident individual and community disaster preparation and response with 20+ year’s experience. She has over 60 courses, books and training manuals to her credit and is available for consulting, lectures and interviews. Website: www.trainforahurricane.com Blog: http://hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com/
Former NHC Director Questions Storm Classification
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http://cbs4.com/hurricanes/neil.frank.national.2.621586.html
HOUSTON (CBS4) ―
Neil Frank, who once headed the National Hurricane Center from 1974 to 1987, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday that he believed some storms in 2007 were so weak that they should not have been given a tropical storm status.
Frank, who is a meteorologist at the CBS television affiliate in Houston, said that six of the 15 named storms from last year's hurricane season should not have been ranked.
He added that the inflation in the number of named storms has been going on for the past decade. If scientists took out what he considered unworthy systems from the annual lists of named storms, then it would appear that tropical weather patterns these days aren't more intense than the past.
Contrary to that suggestion, some scientists contend that global warming has produced more active hurricane seasons.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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