Let me be the first to welcome you to the 2021 North Atlantic hurricane season. Technically, it doesn’t start until June 1, however, based on what we lived through last hurricane season in the middle of a 100-year pandemic, you can’t start too early to prepare.
On April 8, Colorado State University released its predictions for the 2021 hurricane season, predicting an above-average season with 17 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes. The average hurricane season is considered 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. In addition, the National Hurricane Center will begin tropical storm warnings this year on May 15 just to add a couple of more weeks to our “cone” watching.
And we have a new list of names – one of the things I always look forward to. We start with Ana, then Bill, Claudette, Danny and Elsa for the first five. Wanda is the last and none of us ever wants to see the Greek alphabet again in our lifetime.
By now, even if you have only lived through one hurricane season, you know what to do. Last May, I said that preparing for hurricanes was the exact opposite of preparing for a COVID-19 lockdown in many ways. At the beginning of hurricane season, we clean out our freezers in preparation for losing power for an extended period, as opposed to the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown, when many of us filled our freezers so we didn’t need to do too much big-store shopping.
However, both natural disasters still require stocking up on non-perishables, water, batteries, canned goods, don’t forget the manual can opener or buy pop tops, ice to get you through a few days, full gas tanks and prescriptions for you and your family.
Now is also the time to think about those window and door coverings if they’re old and vulnerable to high winds. Start planning on where you will move outdoor furniture, plants, awnings and other objects that can become flying missiles in a storm. Boats in the water that can’t be moved to dry storage need to have their lines doubled up and extra lines added.
The mymanatee.org website has a lot of detailed information concerning disaster kits and important papers that should be in a place that can be quickly accessed if you need to evacuate. Also, know where your local shelter is. Even though you think you’ll never need a shelter you may be surprised; I was during Hurricane Irma.
Since flooding goes along with hurricanes, understand which flood zone you live in and even if not required by a lender, purchase flood insurance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages the subsidized program and it’s a prudent investment for all homeowners.
Speaking of flood insurance, FEMA announced an overview of flood insurance premium rate increases that will go into effect on Oct. 1 of this year. This increase was delayed from last year after the agency received pressure from Congress to delay the increases. Keep in mind that Florida is in the crosshairs of FEMA, which always runs a deficit since 35% of their policies are in the state of Florida. More about this as we get closer to the October date.
Since I welcomed you to hurricane season, I hope I can also be one of the first to say on Nov. 30, thank goodness it’s over. Be prepared, and we’ll all get through another year together. Stay safe.
