2012 Hurricane Season is Here
Once again
, hurricane season has begun. The official season for the Atlantic begins June 1 and ends November 30. The season for the Eastern Pacific begins slightly earlier on May 15, but also ends on November 30. At this time, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) predicts a “near normal 2012 hurricane season.” For the entire six-month season, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms, of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
Regardless of the predictions, families, communities, and businesses are encouraged to prepare for a potential hurricane. Several organizations offer online resources to assist with these preparations. Some include widgets which can be used on library or other organizational websites to quickly link to valuable information.
- NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://ow.ly/boNzv
- The American Public Health Association, “How to get ready for hurricanes”: http://ow.ly/boNLL
- The National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Resource Center “Hurricanes” Page: http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/hurricane.html
- Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA): http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC): http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes
Take the necessary steps now to prepare yourself, your home, your family, and your workplace for a potential hurricane BEFORE it happens!
