It’s that time of year again. The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season is just a few weeks away. The outlook currently is for another near to above average season; but regardless of the outlook, it’s important to remember that all it takes is one storm. Making preparations before the season begins is key to keeping you and your family safe.

It starts with having a plan. What do I need to be prepared for if a hurricane strikes my area? Do I live in an evacuation zone? If I’m told to evacuate, where will I go? If I shelter in place, what supplies do I need to have on hand? …These are all questions that you need to have answers to ahead of time.

Build A Disaster Kit

• Water – one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food – at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio
• Flashlights
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle to signal for help
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Optional Items:

• Prescription medications
• Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
• Glasses and contact lens solution
• Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler’s checks
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper to disinfect water
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Know Your Zone

If you live near the coast, knowing which evacuation zone you live in and what routes to take during an evacuation not only saves time, but helps you avoid confusion and unnecessary stress. Below you’ll find links to evacuation zone maps for areas around Tampa Bay.

For a searchable map of Pinellas County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Hillsborough County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Pasco County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Manatee County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Sarasota County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Hernando County evacuation zones, click here

For a searchable map of Citrus County evacuation zones, click here

For all other Florida counties, click here

For all other U.S. hurricane prone coastal areas, click here

Generally speaking, if you live on or near the coast, you are most at risk for extreme winds and flooding from heavy rain & storm surge during a hurricane. If you live inland, you are at risk for strong winds and flooding from heavy rain. Also, keep in mind that tropical systems often spawn tornadoes.

Bottom line… Be informed. Be prepared. Be smart. We’ll be with you every step of the way this hurricane season.

The World Meteorological Organization maintains a six-list rotation of storm names for the Atlantic Basin. So, if you see a name that you think you’ve heard before, you probably have. However, whenever a storm is particularly destructive or deadly, so much so that the future use of that name would be insensitive, it is retired forever.

Four names from the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season – Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate – will never be used again. Taking their place will be Harold, Idalia, Margot, and Nigel respectively. These names will first appear during the 2023 season.

This is the second most names retired in a single year. The 2005 season still holds the top spot with 5 retirees (Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan, and Wilma). Since we began naming storms back in 1953, there have now been 86 names retired.

Below you’ll find a recap from the National Hurricane Center of the four retired storms from 2017. A full review of the 2017 season can be found here.

Hurricane Harvey became a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale before making landfall along the middle Texas coast on Aug. 25. The storm then stalled, with its center remaining over or near the Texas coast for four days, dropping historic rainfall amounts, of up to five feet, causing catastrophic flooding in parts of southeastern Texas. Harvey is the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only Katrina in 2005. At least 68 people died from the direct effects of the storm in Texas, the largest number in that state since 1919.

Hurricane Irma was a long-lived hurricane that reached category 5 intensity on Sept. 5. The catastrophic hurricane made seven landfalls, four of which occurred as a category 5 hurricane across the northern Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys on Sept. 10 and struck southwestern Florida as a category 3 the same day. Irma caused 44 direct deaths as a result of its strong winds, heavy rain and high surf. In the U.S., seven direct deaths were reported, and an additional 85 indirect deaths occurred, 80 of which were in Florida. Hundreds more were injured preparing for the storm, during it or in its aftermath. Many called this tree company to remove trees that were blocking the roads or that fell in their yards.

Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica as a category 5 on Sept. 19, and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4 hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history, behind Harvey and Katrina. Maria caused 31 direct deaths with 34 missing in Dominica, and two direct deaths in Guadeloupe. In Puerto Rico, the death toll stands at 65, which includes an unknown number of indirect deaths.

Hurricane Nate crossed northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras as a tropical storm, then made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as a category 1 hurricane. It brought rainfall that caused significant impacts in Central America, where media reports indicate that these caused 44 deaths in the region. An additional fatality in Panama was due to a “shipwreck,” bringing the death toll directly associated with Nate to 45. An additional nine people were missing in the region.