Listen to me on CNN Radio This Friday at 3:00 PM!

You're favorite (I hope!) Hurricane Preparedness dude will be featured on CNN Radio (Houston, AM 650) this Friday, October 9th at 3:00 PM CDT. You can listen on the Web at: http://player.play.it/player/player.html?v=4.7.124b&id=414&onestat=kikk-am

The 2009 Season - Off to a late start, but not a record yet!

With Tropical Disturbance #32 showing signs of intensification, we could have tropical storm Ana within 24 hours. However, this late start to the season is by no means a record. According to the National Hurricane Center, records dating back to 1851 show the latest start with a tropical storm was September 15th back in 1914. The latest in the season for the first hurricane was October 8th, 1905.

However, since there were no satellites back in those days, it's entirely possible that there were storms that occurred without being observed. Since 1966, when reliable observation via satellite began, the latest tropical storm was August 30, 1967 and the latest hurricane was Gustav on September 11th, 2002.

2009 Hurricane Season Update

Well, the 2009 hurricane season is off to one of the slowest starts on record. We've yet to have our first named storm in the Atlantic (though Tropical Depression 29 has a slight potential for mischief in the next few days). As a matter of fact, you have to go back to 1992 to find a season that matches the level of inactivity we've seen so far. However, here's an important fact you need to keep in mind: The first storm in 1992 didn't arrive until August 16th, but it was a Category 5 storm named Andrew that slammed into south Florida with 165 MPH winds, then veered into Louisiana. Andrew left 65 people dead and was responsible for $38 billion (in 2006 dollars) in damages. So we're fortunate that a combination of factors has led to a quieter than normal season, but it's still important that we don't become complacent. Remember, it only takes one good storm to make it a bad hurricane season for you!

And speaking of planning, I've noticed that there are several good sales under way at local retailers. I've seen bottled water on sale for under four bucks a case. Remember that a case of 24 one-liter bottles is approximately three gallons, and you need at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and food preparation. Also, I've seen "AA" batteries on sale at Radio Shack for just over $10 a pack of 40, which is roughly 50% off. For those who wish to take the plunge and purchase a generator, Mayberry's (http://www.mayberrys.com/indexnew.htm) has the EU2000i on sale for $899 and the EU3000i is on sale for $1,899 (that's about $100 off for each). Shipping is free and there is no tax for Texas residents. If the slow season continues, you should be able to buy weather radios, flashlights and other hurricane preparedness supplies at a discount throughout the summer. Now would be a great time to get prepared for the rest of the year, and for whatever nature has in store for us in 2010. Remember that you can access a wealth of information, as well as download a very comprehensive checklist at http://www.hidefromthewind.com/.

As always, my advice stays the same: Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!

Is a pre-packaged hurricane survival kit right for you?

I recently did a search on eBay and the Internet for hurricane survival kits. My intention was to see if there was anything out there that could help folks prepare for a hurricane in an easier, faster and more economical manner. To put it mildly, I was appalled at what I found!

Almost every kit I looked at was made up of sub-standard products and were totally lacking the items necessary to survive during and after a hurricane. As a matter of fact, most of them were re-purposed cold weather survival kits. Take it from me folks, you don’t need a wool blanket and chemically-activated hand warmers in Houston during the summer. And after three days of drinking canned water and eating the power bars, you’ll probably wish you’d died in the storm!

In my opinion, most of these kits are just a lazy man’s way of getting around what he should be doing himself: putting together his own emergency supplies. After all, no one who assembles these kits will have any idea of what your specific needs are and what to include for your unique situation.

Instead of blowing a big wad of money on one of these survival kits, I recommend that you download my spreadsheet of hurricane supplies—which can be found on the home page of my Hide From The Wind web site—and build your own. By taking this course of action, you can purchase quality products at a reasonable price that may actually save your life in an emergency!

Can we let our guard down after Hurricane Ike?

Some of the folks I’ve spoken in Houston regarding their 2009 hurricane preparedness have told me they think it’s safe to let their guard down this year. Most of the predictions are coming in at either an average or below-average hurricane season. And given that we just had our “big one” in the form of Hurricane Ike, many people believe this is the season where we can relax—that it would be a long shot to get another big storm this year. Well, for those who think that because it’s a statistical long shot they have nothing to worry about, I would remind them that the winner of this year’s Kentucky derby was a 50-to-1 long shot!

The forecasters are predicting that we may see two major hurricanes this year somewhere in the United States. Whether or not one ends up coming to your region is impossible to say at this point. But if it does, the consequences of getting caught unprepared are the same whether it’s a busy hurricane season or a light one. As the folks in the weather business often say, “it only takes one storm to make it a bad hurricane year for you!”

This time last year, none of us knew 2008 would be the year when Hurricane Ike would wreak havoc on the Houston-Galveston vicinity. And just like last year, we have no way of knowing what the months ahead hold in store. So I would strongly advise folks against getting complacent this year. Which means that my advice for this year is the same as in years past: Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!

Here’s hoping it’s a nice, quiet season in the Gulf of Mexico and along the US coasts!