The other season — hurricane — has arrived; being prepared is key

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2 days ago

It's June 1, which means it's that time of year again.
If you've lived in Florida for any length of time, no explanation is needed.
If you're a recent arrival, it marks the beginning of the six-month Atlantic hurricane season that runs through Nov. 30.
That means it's time to stock up on supplies such as water, shelf-stable foods and batteries; to make sure the generator is ready to go in the event of a power failure; and to finalize evacuation plans for your family, including any pets, if the town is in the path of a storm.
It's also good to store important papers in waterproof and even fireproof containers.
NOAA's prediction of 13 to 19 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes — and three to five major hurricanes — follows others this spring that have measured the Atlantic basin's stew of ingredients and influential climate patterns to determine that the six-month season will be more active than average.
More: With a busy hurricane season expected, Palm Beach encourages residents to prepare early
Of note, according to reporting by Kimberly Miller of The Palm Beach Post, is a forecasting challenge this year. The atmosphere is idling in a climate purgatory between El Niño, characterized by abnormally warm water in the Equatorial Pacific, and La Niña, cooler than average water in that area. The former typically points to a less-active season, while the latter can mean a more-active season.
Although the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has had major staff cuts under President Donald Trump's plan to trim the federal government, an official at the agency said the National Hurricane Center is fully staffed, Ms. Miller reported.
That's not the case for many of the nation's 120 local weather-forecasting offices where employees were let go, balloon launches have been reduced and vacancies are unfilled, Ms. Miller noted.
While Palm Beach County has been mostly spared from major hurricanes since the mean season of 2004, we have seen some storms skate by that cause destruction elsewhere. And even when that's been the case, the effects here were not always minor. Take last year, when tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton left a swath of destruction from Wellington north to Jupiter.
Thankfully, no lives were lost, but the memory of those tornadoes serves as a reminder that one never knows what will happen during hurricane season. Milton, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Siesta Key off Sarasota and went on to cause major damage across Central Florida.
Palm Beach lies in Evacuation Zone B, which includes most of the county's barrier islands east of the Intracoastal Waterway. It and Zone A, which includes mobile homes and low-lying areas, are typically the first neighborhoods to be evacuated when a major storm approaches.
Condominium residents need to remember that a state law allows associations to shut off power, elevators, water and sewer once an evacuation order has been issued. Residents cannot be forced to leave their homes, but who would want to stay without those services? Residents who chose to remain in their condos for the storm do so at their own risk because fire-rescue and police might not respond if conditions have deteriorated.
Some condo residents who chose to stay during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 felt the inconvenience of remaining in their homes under those circumstances.
One important thing that residents and workers on the island should remember is that they need to be on an official re-entry list, because police usually restrict access to the island during and after a storm.
Applicants must have a government-issued I.D. to be placed on the re-entry list, which expires Dec. 31, 2026. To complete an application, visit the town's website. We also encourage residents who haven't already done so to sign up for town alerts while they're on the website.
We love living in the Sunshine State, but a cost of that joy is navigating hurricane season. The experts will make their best guesses, and the science has helped to improve the accuracy of their predictions, but the key thing to bear in mind is preparedness.
Storms can change directions quickly — or intensify rapidly. Everyone must have a hurricane plan and keep an eye on the weather forecast once a storm is on the horizon.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Preparedness is critical now that hurricane season is here | Editorial