Hurricane season officially began yesterday, and the “Experts” are predicting a slow season. The Weather Channel is expecting five hurricanes – one less than average - while the team at Colorado State forecasts only three.
For those of you who are breathing a sigh of relief over these predictions, remember that it only takes one to ruin your day – and quite a few days to follow.
It doesn’t have to be a huge Cat 5 hurricane, either. Hurricane Celia (1970) was tiny in comparison to Hurricane Carla (1961) and it hit Corpus Christi, a less densely populated area than Carla’s path through Houston. In spite of that, it was the costliest Hurricane on record in Texas until Alicia came along in 1983.
Actually it doesn’t even have to reach Hurricane strength. The winds of Tropical Storm Allison, the first named storm of the 2001 season, never got higher than 59 mph, but the 40 plus inches of rain it dumped on Houston led to 55 deaths, 22 of the fatalities in Harris County alone. Alicia also resulted in 95,000 damaged automobiles and trucks, 73,000 damaged residences, 30,000 residents in shelters, and more than $5 billion in property damage.
We can joke about it, but whether you plan to ride it out or head for the hills, it is important to have a Hurricane Survival Plan in place. If you don’t already, now is the time.
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