It’s June 1st, and that signals the official start of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Never mind that parts of the country extending from the deep South to areas in and around Lake Michigan have already experienced high winds and heavy rains from Alberto (the first named storm of the season). Or, that forecasters including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are now estimating ten to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. And that one to four of those storms could be categorized as “major,” with sustained winds of 111 mph or more. These numbers could add up to serious trouble if your organization’s preparedness plans haven’t been reviewed or updated in a while. Enter BOLDplanning.
The Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) and Continuity of Operations/Government Plans (COOPs/COGs) of many BOLDplanning customers include hazard actions that address severe weather events like hurricanes. And rightly so when you consider last year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season produced 17 named storms, of which ten became hurricanes. Of those ten, six were categorized as “major” (Category 3, 4 or 5). Plus, 2017 was the first year for two major hurricanes to hit the continental U.S. in 12 years. Who can forget the images from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma? Or Hurricane Maria, which all but destroyed Puerto Rico?
It’s important to note that in addition to the Atlantic Hurricane Season outlook, NOAA also issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for the eastern and central Pacific basins. An 80 percent chance of a near- or above-normal season is predicted for both the eastern and central Pacific regions. The eastern Pacific outlook calls for a 70-percent probability of 14 to 20 named storms, of which seven to 12 are expected to become hurricanes, including three to seven major hurrica