Despite what feels like a hot and sticky spring, national hurricane experts said yesterday they expect this hurricane season (June to November) to be below average in the central Pacific region. But Civil Defense and state officials warned that even
Despite what feels like a hot and sticky spring, national hurricane experts said yesterday they expect this hurricane season (June to November) to be below average in the central Pacific region.
But Civil Defense and state officials warned that even one hurricane can be enough to cause catastrophic damage.
They added that it’s time for residents to check their survival kits and their families’ emergency-action plans to be prepared for any natural emergency.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that normal water temperatures and a variety of other climatalogical factors led to the forecast of two to three tropical cyclones to occur within the Central Pacific during the 2005 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and continues through November 30.
Typically, four to five tropical cyclones — one hurricane, two tropical storms and one or two tropical depressions — occur each season in the Central Pacific.
“Many factors must be considered when making the seasonal hurricane outlook, including the status of the El Niño southern oscillation in the Pacific,” said Jim Weyman, director of NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
“Data from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center show near normal conditions, which typically means less tropical-cyclone activity in the Pacific,” he said.
Still, Kaua‘i residents should be prepared for three days without outside help, electricity, or running water, said Mark Marshall, Kaua‘i Civil Defense Agency administrator. Families should also have a plan on where to meet and what to do in case of separation.
As Civil Defense officials prepare for their annual statewide hurricane-preparedness exercise, Marshall said, families should check their cupboards for nonperishable foods, bottled water, candles, flashlights and batteries and other items, and have a discussion on what to do when disaster strikes.
Marshall said that, while long-time residents are likely well-prepared after suffering through Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992 and Hurricane ‘Iwa in 1982, many newer residents may not be as prepared.
“Just a little bit of preplanning, a little bit of rehearsal,” can make a huge difference, said Marshall. “It still only takes one.
“I find people on Kaua‘i take (preparation) very seriously,” said Marshall. “Although, as we get farther away” from the last hurricane, the easier it is to forget, he said.
Marshall said that the county Civil Defense Web site, which can be accessed from the county Web site at http://www.kauai.gov (just go to the “Departments” icon and click “Civil Defense”), has a ton of information for residents, including what to have in case of emergency, the dos and don’ts of preparedness, and where the local shelters are in case of a tropical cyclone.
Hawai‘i leaders also joined officials in other states this week in participating in National Hurricane Preparedness Week, a collaboration between leaders at the NOAA, federal Department of Homeland Security, and other storm-vulnerable states to increase preparedness and safety among residents.
Hawai‘i leaders are also urging residents to prepare for an approaching storm.
People should learn evacuation routes and shelter locations; establish a common assembling place for families if they are separated; determine a single contact person, such as a friend on the Mainland, to use to pass messages to other family members; assemble a disaster supply kit with a flashlight, batteries, water, non-perishable food and adequate medicine supply; cover doors and windows with plywood or hurricane shutters; and move loose objects and furniture inside, state and NOAA officials said.
When leaders at the hurricane center issue hurricane watches or warnings, people should closely monitor radio, TV, or NOAA Weather Radio for official bulletins of the storm’s progress, and instructions from Civil Defense authorities, officials said.
“A hurricane watch or tropical-storm watch means the potential of hurricane or tropical-storm conditions exists for designated islands within 36 hours. A hurricane or tropical-storm warning means hurricane or tropical-storm conditions are expected to occur within 24 hours,” said Weyman.
Marshall said that forecasting of storms has become much more advanced over the past decade, and that much of the information experts use to track storms is available online.
“One of the real nice things is the computer (allows) people at home to check the same models, the same satellites” as the experts, Marshall said. People “can see all the images and all the mapping that we see.”
Residents should also update their emergency plans in case of a tsunami or heavy flooding as well, Marshall said, adding that, unlike hurricanes, the other natural disasters can strike with little or no warning.
- Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
