1. Make sure you have enough of your prescription medicines for a few days and if you leave make sure you take your written prescriptions with you.2. Make sure you have a flashlight, batteries, a battery-powered radio, and two to three days of drinking water per person (one gallon of water per person per day).3. Make sure you have food items that can be eaten without cooking, since you may not have any electricity.4. Make sure you have a supply of candles, matches, and batteries.5. Fill the bathtub with water for bathing and for toilets.6. If you evacuate, make sure you have somewhere to take your pets, since you may not be able to take them to a shelter. Do not leave your pets in your units if you evacuate.7. Make sure you have filled your car with gasoline.8. When you leave, make sure you take legal documents and important papers with you, including your checkbook and homeowners insurance policy.9. Make sure you have some cash since the ATM machines and banks may be closed and ATMs may not work or may run out of money.10. Make sure you charge up your cell phone and take your charger with you, and make sure you have a charger that can be used in your car.11. When you evacuate, take paper towels, toilet paper, a manual can opener, and several days’ worth of clothing.The very best sunsets are at Driftwood Sands overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.Driftwood Sands is a cozy beachfront 45 unit complex in Indian Rocks Beach.
<p> Hurricane Isaac, August 28, 2012/NOAA
Tropical Cyclones
A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Revised April 2013
2
Tropical cyclones are among nature’s most powerful
and destructive phenomena. If you live in an area prone
to tropical cyclones, you need to be prepared. Even
areas well away from the coastline can be threatened
by destructive winds, tornadoes and flooding from these
storms. How great is the danger? For 1970-2010, the
average numbers per year were as follows:
Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico:
11 tropical storms, 6 of which became hurricanes
East Pacific Ocean: 15 tropical storms, 8 of which
became hurricanes
Central Pacific Ocean: 4 tropical storms, 2 of
which became hurricanes
Over a typical 2-year period, the U.S. coastline is struck
by an average of 3 hurricanes, 1 of which is classified as
a major hurricane.
While hurricanes pose the greatest threat to life and
property, tropical storms and depressions also can
be devastating. Floods from heavy rains and severe
weather, such as tornadoes, can cause extensive
damage and loss of life. For example, Tropical Storm
Allison produced over 40 inches of rain in the Houston
area in 2001, causing about $5 billion in damage and
taking the lives of 41 people.
Tropical cyclones forming between 5 and 30 degrees
North latitude typically move toward the west.
Sometimes the winds in the middle and upper levels of
the atmosphere change and steer the cyclone toward
the north and northwest. When tropical cyclones reach
latitudes near 30 degrees North, they often move
northeast. Hurricane seasons
and their peaks are as follows:
Atlantic and Caribbean:
Jun. 1 to Nov. 30 with peak
mid-August to late October.
Central Pacific (Hawaii): Jun.
1 to Nov. 30 with peak from
July to September.
East Pacific: May 15 to
November 30
Western North Pacific:
Tropical cyclones can strike
year round
What is a Tropical Cyclone