National Hurricane Survival Initiative

Saving Lives & Minimizing Damage -- Is your community prepared?

That tropical wave the forecasters were watching now has ‘near zero’ chance of developing into a cyclone

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The cluster of showers and thunderstorms in the eastern Caribbean has a “near zero percent” chance of developing into a tropical cyclone, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center now say.

At one point Monday, meteorologists said the wave had an 80 percent chance of development over the ensuing five days, but those odds have dropped ever since.

Historically, tropical cyclones — which can be classified as a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane, depending on wind-speed intensity — are not as likely to form in November as they are in the early months of hurricane season, but it still happens. The official Atlantic hurricane season goes from June 1 to Nov. 30.

If this system had become a named storm, it would have become Patty.

Hurricane season has one month left. Here’s what history says to expect.

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We’re officially one month away from the end of hurricane season, but if history is an indication, it’s not time to let our guard down.

Or, as Dennis Feltgen from the National Hurricane Center says: “No, you’re not allowed to raid your hurricane supplies yet.”

In eight of the past 10 years, a tropical storm or hurricane has formed in the Atlantic basin in November, said Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the Miami-based hurricane center.

“If we’re lucky we won’t have anything hitting land, let alone forming out there,” he said, “but it’s way too early to let our guard down yet.”

The latest a storm has made landfall on the continental United States with hurricane-force winds was Hurricane Kate on Nov. 21, 1985. That Category-2 storm struck the Florida Panhandle — near Mexico Beach, of all places — a week before Thanksgiving.

Conditions won’t favor any more worrisome tropical activity off the coast of Africa at this time of year, but Feltgen said forecasters will monitor the Gulf Coast and the northwest part of the Caribbean Sea for development.

We’re already experiencing an above-average hurricane season. The typical year brings 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes to the Atlantic. For 2018, Hurricane Oscar is our 15th named storm and our eighth hurricane, and we’ve had two major hurricanes (Florence and Michael).

As National Hurricane Center meteorologists prepare for their end-of-season report next month, Hurricane Michael’s formation into a destructive force out of the Gulf of Mexico will be one topic drawing continued discussion.

“The rapid intensification was a little surprising,” Feltgen said of the storm that reached Category-4 status before crashing through the panhandle.

“It’s something that a lot of folks will be studying.”

Source: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/fl-ne-hurricane-season-november-history-20181030-story.html

Assured Risk Cover Making Big Waves in Immediate Protection for Hurricane-Prone Florida

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CLEARWATER, FL & PLEASANTON, CA — While much of Florida is still recovering from the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Irma, many Sunshine State residents and businesses have found there’s a way to bounce back from a storm faster than ever before. When a hurricane hits and there are immediate costs, homeowners and commercial insurance usually don’t offer a quick fix — that’s where StormPeace comes in.

Unpredicted expenses such as debris removal, business interruption, spoiled food replacement, and evacuation costs rapidly add up and aren’t covered by the average homeowners and commercial insurance policy. StormPeace is parametric insurance offered by Assured Risk Cover that automatically pays eligible policyholders based on the strength of the hurricane and distance of the hurricane track at its closest point from their property. Policyholders can use the funds for virtually any hurricane-related costs.

“Our company paid 100 percent of eligible claims for Hurricane Irma, most within 24 hours of attestation,” said Alok Jha, CEO and founder of Assured Risk Cover. “With experts predicting active storm seasons to be the new normal, it’s crucial that residents are aware of products that will better help them recover from what is an inevitable event in the state of Florida.”

StormPeace recently partnered with the FAIR Foundation and the National Hurricane Survival Initiative to produce the 30-minute TV special, Get Ready, Florida! Through this sponsorship, the company was able to educate Floridians on how preparing early for the unexpected is necessary particularly in a state with 1,300 miles of coastline.

“Because of StormPeace, I can enter hurricane season with greater peace of mind,” said Jay Neal, CEO of the Florida Association for Insurance Reform. “Renewing my policy is now a part of my pre-season preparation — it’s comforting to know that many unplanned storm costs will be immediately covered.”

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ABOUT ASSURED RISK COVER

Assured Risk Cover (ARC) is a venture-backed Silicon Valley corporation based in Pleasanton, California. ARC is founded by an experienced team of catastrophe risk professionals whose singular vision is to bring immediate financial relief to people globally following catastrophes. Alok Jha (CEO), Kanwal Rekhi (lead investor from Inventus Capital Partners) and Kevin Schrage (former President of Aon Smalln Commercial Lines) form the Board of Directors of ARC. StormPeace is backed by highly rated insurance and reinsurance companies—ranked A- and A+ by A.M. Best, respectively. For more information, visit www.stormpeace.com and www.assuredriskcover.com.

 

Column: For hurricane season, keep a hand-crank or battery-powered radio at the ready

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Article Written By: Craig Fugate

All Floridians should have a battery-operated or hand-crank broadcast radio in their hurricane emergency supply kit. That’s a key lesson I’ve learned from a career spent in public safety, including nearly eight years as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It is easy for Americans to trust that their smart phone, the internet or pay-TV will be there when they need critical information when disaster strikes. Time and again, though, we see cellular networks go down or become congested. Our cable or satellite TV system is knocked offline. The power goes out and we are left in the dark, literally and figuratively.

That happened to me in Gainesville during Hurricane Irma — the power went out, taking out my cable and with it went the internet. My cellular data stopped working. Good thing I had a battery-powered radio. It was the only news source I had.

Last year was a wake-up call. Americans watched as Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas’ Gulf Coast and caused unprecedented flooding. Hurricane Irma tore a path that left millions of residents in the dark from Florida up the Atlantic Coast. And, in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, Hurricane Maria caused devastation from which residents are still recovering and its effects may be felt for decades to come.

As we approach the heart of hurricane season, Americans should heed the lessons from last year and prepare themselves. And they need to know where to find live, local and detailed information during times of crisis. Knowing what is going on, where to find help and how to avoid trouble can make the difference between staying safe or getting caught in a dangerous situation.

That is why – from a career spent in public safety, including nearly eight years as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency – I believe all Americans should have a battery-operated or hand-crank broadcast radio in their emergency supplies. Local broadcasters remain our communities’ most important “first informers,” working closely with public safety officials at every level to keep Americans updated on the situation. During last year’s hurricanes, local radio and TV stations went wall-to-wall with coverage, providing critical information about evacuation plans, places of aid for those in need and how to avoid disease for those stuck in their homes.

Yet, despite broadcast radio’s role as a source of lifeline information, many Americans fail to include a broadcast radio in their emergency plans. Thankfully, an innovative feature can turn many smartphones into an FM radio receiver during times of emergency, without having to stream over the internet or waste excessive battery life.

Mobile devices have for years been manufactured with FM radio chips which, when paired with headphones acting as an antenna, allows users to tune to local radio broadcasts even when a cellular network goes down. Though a popular feature in the rest of the world, many wireless carriers in the United States kept these FM chips deactivated until relatively recently.

The 2017 hurricanes showed radio-enabled smartphones can play a significant role in keeping people safe. Radio listenership on smartphones exploded in Texas and South Florida as hurricanes Harvey and Irma barreled down on the areas, allowing residents to use their mobile devices to get the latest updates about the storm from their local radio stations. In the Tampa Bay area, the NextRadio app — which enables over-the-air radio listening — had more than eight times more listeners on the Sunday before the storm hit than the previous week. Before a storm hits, test to see if your smartphone has this capability.

If you have an iPhone, you’re out of luck.

While the rest of the wireless industry has recognized the public safety benefits of radio-enabled smartphones — and despite calls from newspapers, lawmakers and even the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission — Apple continues to resist this innovative public service.

Americans need more access to lifeline information when disaster strikes — information local radio stations provide day-in and day-out. I strongly urge Apple to do the right thing and equip iPhones with FM radio capability. In the meantime, have that radio ready.

Craig Fugate served as FEMA administrator from May 2009 to January 2017. Previously, he served as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s Emergency Management director from 2001 to 2009.

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/Column-For-hurricane-season-keep-a-hand-crank-or-battery-powered-radio-at-the-ready_169489997

After hurricane, would you prefer AC or a charged cellphone? Survey answer may surprise you

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In the hot and dirty days after a hurricane sweeps through Florida, which conveniences would be most important to you?

According to a new hurricane preparedness survey commissioned by the FAIR Foundation, internet access would be one of the most-missed amenities.

Asked to choose which of two conveniences they would prefer in the four days after a hurricane, 83 percent of respondents chose web access to cable TV access, which was preferred by 17 percent. Sorry, CNN and Fox News. Apparently most respondents would rather surf the web while using rabbit ears to watch local TV.

The strength of preference for internet access was tops among millennials (92 percent), but also strong among people ages 35 to 54 (88 percent) and 55 and older (74 percent).

“I think it’s an access to information issue,” said Karen Cyphers, research director for Sachs Media Group, which conducted the survey for the FAIR Foundation and the Get Ready, Florida! hurricane preparedness campaign. “People feel they’ll get the best access to information online than from cable TV.”

Survey results were compiled from 1,000 responses to questions mailed to a random sample of registered Florida voters between June 1-4 with a margin of error of +/- 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level, according to the surveyors. Results are representative of Florida voters in terms of age, race, gender and political party.

Meanwhile, about one in four respondents said they would choose a fully charged cellphone over saving their perishable food in a working refrigerator or the comfort and safety of air conditioning. “I don’t think we would have seen that 20 years ago,” Cyphers said.

Air conditioning was more important than cellphones to males than females. Eighty percent of males chose AC compared with 76 percent of females.

Meanwhile, the survey found 76 percent of Floridians are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about potential hurricanes this season compared with 5 percent who were “not at all” concerned.

Broken down by ethnicity, 42 percent of black respondents and 44 percent of Hispanic respondents said they were “very concerned” compared with 22 percent of white respondents.

Among homeowners, 70 percent have either reviewed or updated their homeowner’s insurance policy since last hurricane season. That’s not good enough, said Guy McClurkan, executive director of the FAIR Foundation, a spinoff organization of the Fort Lauderdale-based insurance watchdog group, Florida Association for Insurance Reform.

“The 2018 hurricane season is already off to a fast start,” McClurkan was quoted as saying in a news release announcing the survey results, “so it’s crucial that everyone review their family’s safety and evacuation plans, check their insurance coverage and consider purchasing separate flood insurance, since floods aren’t covered by a typical homeowners policy.”

Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-post-cane-internet-importance-survey-20180614-story.html