Hurricane Safety Zone

Wilma

As this is being written there is yet another storm a-brewin' out in the Atlantic Ocean. She is such a powerful storm that they have already given her a name, Wilma. Wilma is the 21st named storm of the 2005 hurricanes season and the most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic region. Her winds have slowed a bit now, but were measured at their peak at 175 mph! Hurricane safety is most important for south Florida now as Wilma is expected to make landfall early next week.

Wilma heading towards South Florida

Although Wilma has lost some of her ferocity, she is still expected to cause some damage once she makes landfall. Experts expect Hurricane Wilma to slow to a category 1 by the time she reaches West Palm Beach, Florida. Wilma is now moving in the Atlantic at a speed of about 6mph and should touchdown in Florida sometime early Tuesday, October 25th. A category 1 storm produces wind speeds of about 74 mph, which can also cause some minor home damage as well as damage to power lines. Now is the time to get all of the supplies that you have put off getting for the previous hurricanes. Hurricane season does not finish until the 30th of November, so this might not be the last this year and it cannot hurt to have some extra supplies just in case.

Unfortunately for the Gulf Coast, which is still reeling in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, Wilma's strength is already producing swells that are stretching out into the Gulf. Many people often wonder why it is that we are not always more prepared for the intense storms that reach our shores, but hurricanes are a very tricky weather phenomenon. They are easy for the experts to track and they are usually very apparent long before they hit us, which does allow for much preparation, but hurricanes also have the ability to change their speed, direction, and strength very quickly, which can make all of the tracking in vain if it turns in a sudden and unforeseen direction.

The nature and seriousness of a hurricane makes it that much more important for all of us located in hurricane prone areas to always be prepared. There is only so much that our cities and towns can do, we also need to protect ourselves with a buffer of safety. Go out before all of the crowds do and get the things that your family needs and that the local authorities recommend you should have on hand in the event of a serious hurricane.