Community Corner

50 Days To Go: Hurricane Season Starts, Lists and Links To Know Now

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30 but it's never too soon — as evidenced by the March 31 storms — to bookmark useful links to information you'll need to know should severe weather strike. The key is to plan ahead.

Hurricane season officially starts 50 days from today and there are things to know now as you plan ahead for what has been predicted to be an above-average season.

Residents of Greater Brandon and the Tampa Bay area got a taste of nature’s fury March 31, with a string of storms and tornado strikes from which in vivid detail.

The day’s events served as a reminder of the importance of getting up-to-the-minute information about such things as forecasts, shelters, safety tips and aid.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Especially important — as emphasized in Brandon Patch interviews during and after the March 31 storms, with both a on Cornell Drive and a husband and wife and two neighbors in — is the knowledge of what to do during and after a storm strikes.

Brandon Patch helps in that effort with the charts below, offering information to clip and store and post and save as the hurricane season approaches.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In its 28th annual report, the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University, led by Philip Klotzbach and William Gray, predicts that this year there will be:

  • 17 name storms,
  • Nine hurricanes, and 
  • Five major hurricanes with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater (Category 3, 4 or 5)

This early prediction, released Dec. 8, notes that these 2011 forecast numbers are “close to the active Atlantic basin hurricane season experienced in 2010."

For 2010, the team had predicted 18 named storms, 10 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. Indeed, there were 19 named storms, 12 hurricanes and five major hurricanes.

“The U.S. was extremely lucky in 2010 in that none of the 12 Atlantic basin hurricanes that formed crossed the U.S. coastline,” Klotzbach said in a news release. “On average, about one in four Atlantic basin hurricanes make U.S. landfall, and therefore, we could expect to see more landing hurricanes in 2011."

Brandon Patch posted information about as part of its Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week  coverage. The posting includes links to other weather events and to the hazardous weather background, tips and information posted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross.

Hurricane Preparedness Week is tentatively scheduled for May 22-28. The Hurricane Preparedness Website offers extensive links and information about:

At a more local level, the charts below contain information necessary for Hillsborough County residents, as provided by county officials:

 

NEED TO KNOW Hurricane Season June 1 - November 30 Preparedness Guide "Have A Plan, Know Your Plan" Evacuation Information Hurricane categories and evacuation levels Determine Your Evacuation Level and Nearest Shelter By address Determine Your Evacuation Level and Nearest Shelter By owner name Determine Your Evacuation Level and Nearest Shelter By parcel identification number (folio) Firestation Search By ZIP code Hospital Search By ZIP code Hurricane Evacuation Assessment Tool An interactive mapping tool to check for evacuation level and surrounding shetlers. Also, a list of shelters, open shelters and shelters by ZIP code Suggested Shopping List Grocery and hardware stores Suggested Shopping List (large type for the visually impaired) Grocery and hardware stores Special Needs Shelter Application

 

IMPORTANT CONTACTS Hillsborough Infoline 813-272-5900 TTY 301-7173 Emergency E-News Service Subscribe to receive alerts Hillsbrough County Television HTV22 (Cable Channel 22) County Government Online www.hillsboroughcounty.org Real-Time Traffic and Travel Information Call: 511 Visit: www.511tampabay.com


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