According to LeBron James, there’s not one, not two, not three, but four storms a’brewing in the Atlantic right now. And that could mean bad news for Palm Beach County and southeast Florida.
One, Hurricane Gert, continues to spin parallel to the United States' East Coast, and in the middle of the Atlantic. It’s closer to the Carolinas than Florida, so it doesn’t appear to be much of a threat here - especially since it looked to be heading northeast of Nova Scotia.
But three other tropical disturbances are disturbing, and by next week could be either sorry, soggy excused for storms or barreling full-throttle toward the United States mainland.
If all three continue to develop into tropical storms or hurricanes, they'd be named Harvey, Irma and Jose. However, at this time it doesn't seem likely all three will continue to grow.
Then again … we are heading into the heart of the mean season. Historically, hurricane season peaks from mid August to late September, when conditions are generally more favorable for more intense cyclones. And if hurricanes had bar mitzvahs, last week Hurricane Charley would have been reading from the scriptures, and next week Hurricane Frances would be doing the same.
It’s hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since Florida got nailed by the Fab Four of hurricanes; it was between August 9 and September 27, 2004, that Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne made their presence felt and re-landscaped much of the state, leading to thousands of blue tarped roofs and millions in damages.
Just last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration nudged up its forecast for the current season after concluding the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean were likely setting the stage for more hurricanes. They now expect the season to produce 14 to 19 named storms, five to nine hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes with winds topping 110 mph.
So with all this in front of us, it seems like a good time to remind you of the obvious: be prepared! Create an emergency communication plan with your family. Have emergency supplies in place at home, at work and in the car. Check your insurance coverage, since damages caused by flooding are not covered under normal homeowners’ insurance policies. Know your local community’s evacuation plan and evacuation routes, how to receive alerts and shelter information. And listen to local officials for storm information.
The time to prepare for a hurricane is before a storm is bearing down on the region, when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait, the odds are you will be under stress and could make poor decisions. Plus, that’s when much-needed non-perishable foods and supplies dwindle quickly and may not be available. Take the time now to create and write down a hurricane plan, know where you will stay to be safe for a possible storm, and get your supplies in place.
For more tips on getting prepared for the 2017 hurricane season, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare.
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