Hurricane Season Starts this Week - Please read
Dear Owners,
Hurricane season start June 1. While we received our share of damage from Hurricane Michael, we narrowly dodged what could have been a catastrophic situation. As we enter hurricane season, now is the time to a have plan in place. Below are some suggestions as well as a recent article from the Panama City Beach Public Information Office.
- Bookmark the NOAA website and check it occasionally for hurricane development on a weekly basis. This gives a great outlook of what is brewing in the Atlantic. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
- If you are on facebook, add/follow Panama City Beach Government. This was a key method of communication last year prior and after Hurricane Michael.
- If you do not live in the area, please set up your support network now. Bringing in patio furniture, door mats, and securing patio doors is important even if a weak hurricane is expected. Your management company should do all of this for you, but if you are managing your unit yourself, it is important you do NOT wait until the day prior to find support as it may not be available. The Board and Association Management do not have the manpower to check on all units, so each owner must have a plan for his/her unit.
- If you are renting your unit, please be sure you have a reliable means to contact your guests. Many visitors have no experience and may need encouragement to leave if serious or even be unaware a storm is expected.
Here is the article from PCB Public Information Office:
Prepare now for the 2019 hurricane season
Post Date: 05/29/2019 9:40 AM
While Bay County is still recovering from the 2018 hurricane season and the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael, we'd like to remind everyone to plan now for 2019 hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends November 30.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicts a near-normal hurricane season this year.
For more from NOAA, read below:
NOAA’s
Climate Prediction Center
is predicting that a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. This outlook forecasts a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season, a 30 percent chance of an above-normal season and a 30 percent chance of a below-normal season.
For 2019, NOAA predicts a likely range of nine to 15 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including two to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70 percent confidence. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
This outlook reflects competing climate factors. The ongoing El Nino is expected to persist and suppress the intensity of the hurricane season. Countering El Nino is the expected combination of warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and an enhanced west African monsoon, both of which favor increased hurricane activity.
NOAA’s outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. Hurricane preparedness is critically important for the 2019 hurricane season, just as it is every year. Visit the National Hurricane Center’s website at
hurricanes.gov
throughout the season to stay current on any watches and warnings.
“Preparing ahead of a disaster is the responsibility of all levels of government, the private sector, and the public," said Daniel Kaniewski, Ph.D., FEMA deputy administrator for resilience.
“It only takes one event to devastate a community so now is the time to prepare. Do you have cash on hand? Do you have adequate insurance, including flood insurance? Does your family have communication and evacuation plans? Stay tuned to your local news and download the FEMA app to get alerts, and make sure you heed any warnings issued by local officials.”
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center will update the 2019 Atlantic seasonal outlook in August just prior to the historical peak of the season.
Public Information Officer Debbie Ward can be reached at
dward@pcbgov.com
or (850) 233-5100, Ext. 2261
