Anyone who lives along the Gulf Coast (or along any of America’s coasts,
for that matter) knows about the very real threat of hurricanes. Fortunately,
however, Houston has been hit by only two Category 3 or stronger storms
in the last 50 years -- Carla in September 1961 (a Category 4) and Alicia,
who blew through town on August 18, 1983. Both storms caused enough damage
and destruction to have their "names" retired from the National Hurricane
Center’s list for future storms. Alicia -- a Category 3 storm -- racked
up $2.4 billion in property damages and earned a place among the top 10
of the costliest U.S. hurricanes.
While scientists have a lot of fancy new equipment to track the storms,
there is not likely to be more than three or four days warning if one targets
our area. our proximity to tropical waters makes the Texas coast particularly
vulnerable to hurricanes, because the warm Gulf waters serve as an attractive
breeding ground for the storms to form. So, like the folks who live along
the San Andreas Fault in California, we accept the possibility that we
could be hit again. This means that emergency crews could be called into
action under some very difficult and dangerous conditions.
If the experts are right about what we might expect between now and
November 1st, when the 1999 hurricane season officially ends, this could
be another above-average year for named and major storms.
Professor William Gray, Colorado State University’s hurricane forecasting
guru, warns we might see 14 named storms, nine hurricanes, and four
intense hurricanes. He warns that the "probability of a major storm
(with winds of more than 111 m.p.h.) landfall is at about 200 percent of
the long-term average for the East Coast and Florida Peninsula, 146 percent
of long-term average for the Gulf Coast, and slightly less than twice the
long-term average for the Caribbean."
Gray says that the current La Niña below-average water conditions
in the eastern equatorial Pacific are expected to continue through the
1999 hurricane season, which should be an "enhancing influence" on this
year’s hurricane activity. In addition to La Niña, other factors
-- westerly stratospheric winds, expected above-average Atlantic sea surface
temperatures, and below-average Caribbean Basin sea-level pressure in August
and September -- are also combining to create just the "right" formula
for the predicted storms.
At the threshold of the 1999 Hurricane Season, there is a real chance
that one of those predicted major storms has our name on it.
Anyone who has ever lived through a hurricane has an indelible memory
of the havoc such a storm can cause. When Alicia hit the Houston area packing
a 115 mile-an-hour counter-clockwise punch, for example, windows popped
from the city’s glass and steel towers, sending shards of glass to the
sidewalks below. More than 750,000
homes were without power (some for longer
than a week), and hundreds of fires caused by downed electrical wires and
broken gas lines burned throughout the city.
Flood waters and downed trees hampered emergency crews. Although there
were 18 storm-related fatalities, the death toll for Alicia was remarkably
low thanks to early warning and good advance preparation. In Harris and
Galveston Counties, more than 42,000 people fled their homes to safety.
WHAT IS A HURRICANE?
Hurricanes technically come under the heading of "tropical cyclones,"
but the West Indian definition "big wind" draws a better picture. These
giant storms form over warm, tropical Atlantic waters. If they become organized,
they are reclassified as a "tropical depression" and are assigned a number
by the National Hurricane Center. If the winds grow to 40 mph, it is upgraded
to a "tropical storm" and receives a name. When winds reach 75 mph, the
storm officially becomes a hurricane.
The winds build around the storm’s "eye," a relatively calm area with
no clouds. The clouds spin rapidly around this center in a counter-clockwise
motion , dropping the pressure in the eye and increasing the potential
for destruction. A hurricane may have a radius of 50 or more miles, but
there can still be gale-force winds for hundreds of miles beyond the eye.
This is one of the reasons why Texans are always alert when storm systems
move into the Gulf’s "incubator;" there is no way to predict where they
will reach landfall until they have built up their strength and are on
the move.
Hurricanes usually move at about 10-15 miles an hour, but some come
roaring in at twice that speed. If a storm is 300 miles out in the Gulf,
for example, figure that it will take 10 to 20 hours to reach shore. Compared
to the warning people get for an earthquake, that allows for some reasonable
level of emergency preparation. Remember, however, that there will be lots
of folks trying to get ready at the last minute if a storm is on the way.
That means long lines at the grocery stores and gas stations, and you can
just about forget about buying any batteries or bottled water. Shortages
soon develop for other household staples and some canned goods, as well.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
A Hurricane Watch will be issued when the storm is expected
to make landfall within about 24 hours in a certain area. When the storm
gets closer to the Coast, the national Hurricane Center will upgrade to
a Hurricane Warning, which means that the area can expect
to get hit with a significant part of the storm in less than 24 hours.
Emergency Service personnel are called upon to provide a wide variety
of services during and after a hurricane emergency, and need to make sure
that their own preparations are complete as soon as a Hurricane Watch is
issued so that when they are called to respond to emergencies they won’t
have to worry about the safety of their own home and family members.
The American Red Cross recommends that families discuss an emergency
plan with all family members that includes:
-
Where to go if told to evacuate. Give all members a map as well as a list
of key phone numbers, including the chosen evacuation site, as well as
the numbers of friends who know your evacuation destination. Keep your
gas tank full
-
Emergency supplies. Purchase -- and store in an accessible, safe place
that all family members know about -- first aid supplies and essential
non- prescription medicines; three gallons of water per person, and non-perishable
food supplies, batteries, flashlights, portable radios.
-
Special needs for infants, disabled and elderly family members. Make sure
infant supplies (diapers, formula, medications, etc.) or items needed by
older family members (prescription medications, protective clothing, emergency
bedding, and personal toilette items) are packed if evacuation is likely.
-
Household preparations:
Know how to turn off utilities (gas, water, electricity) if advised
to do so by the authorities. (They will have to be reconnected by the utilities
after the emergency.) Post instructions at a designated location in the
house.
Plan to cover or protect windows. Purchase plywood boards
and cut to fit, especially the most vulnerable windows. Don’t count on
doing this at the last minute, though. They should be measured and cut
to fit, with anchors and pre-drilled holes at the windows so they can be
put up quickly. You will never be able to do this after the wind starts
blowing...It won’t help to tape windows -- it won’t prevent windows from
breaking.
Trim trees close to the house, remove dead branches.
Secure outdoor furniture, trash cans, plants in hanging baskets
or pots -- anything that can become flying missiles and damage property.
DURING THE STORM...
Most of the damage in Houston from hurricanes has come from high winds,
tornadoes the storms can cause, and rainfall flooding. Since the kind of
storm surges that are responsible for about 90 percent of hurricane-related
deaths would only occur in far southeast Houston, our area would not usually
be expected to evacuate. It is especially important for people living in
the 100 year flood plain, below the 25 foot elevation level, in mobile
homes, near a bayou that historically overflows, or whose residence has
flooded before to have a comprehensive disaster plan and be prepared to
evacuate on short notice.
Since tornadoes are often associated with hurricanes -- but there is
usually little or no warning of their approach -- serious injury can be
minimized if you know where you can find shelter in your home or place
of business where you will be safe from flying glass or debris, such as
a closet or interior bathroom.
After the storm passes -- which can be anywhere from 10 to 20 hours
-- emergency personnel are likely to be in high demand. There may be mountains
of debris, downed power lines, clogged storm sewers, rising or rapidly
moving flood waters for emergency service personnel to contend with before
being able to help their neighbors.
The important things to remember in the event a hurricane does target
our area are not to panic, to implement the family’s emergency plan, and
listen to emergency broadcasts to find out when the storm has moved on.
There is often almost as much danger after the storm as during its assault.
There are likely to be areas of high water, there may be downed power lines,
sewers may be full with lots of run-over -- and this can be a deadly combination,
especially when you add snakes navigating the rising waters and swarming,
hungry mosquitoes. Power outages can continue for days, threatening your
refrigerated food supply. Don’t put yourself in jeopardy by venturing anywhere
near broken power lines or into deep water. Give the professionals time
to make utility repairs and try to be patient.
It really doesn’t take much planning to be prepared for a storm emergency
compared to the time and effort it could take recovering from one. Hopefully,
we’ll continue to "dodge the bullet" during this hurricane season but,
instead of lounging in the hammock one weekend, take a few minutes to really
look at your home. What do you need to do to protect your belongings? Where
would you go in an emergency to escape a dangerous hurricane? What special
treasures would you want to be sure to protect -- and where are they in
your home? What couldn’t you "live without" during an emergency, and would
you remember them in the confusion before a storm? And finally, what have
you done to make sure that all your family members would be safe during
a natural disaster or storm emergency?
If you have answers to all these questions and have an emergency plan
in place, go ahead and take that nap. If not, do your planning today...right
now. You will sleep better -- and safer --later.
Here are the 1999 Hurricane Names...
Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose,
Katrina, Lenny, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Phillippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince
and Wilma.
Hurricane Photograph's 2-6 are compliments
of Scott A. Dommin's
"A Hurricane Hunter's Photo Album"
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