Be Smart, Know your Hazard – Hurricane Preparedness

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Be Smart. Know Your Hazard

Hurricanes have the power to cause widespread devastation, and can affect both coastal and inland areas. For more information, download the How to Prepare for a Hurricane guide, which provides the basics of hurricanes, explains how to protect yourself and your property, and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly at a time when every second counts.

Hurricane Basics

  • WHAT: Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, rip currents, and tornadoes. These large storms are called typhoons in the North Pacific Ocean and cyclones in other parts of the world.
  • WHEN: The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak occurring between mid-August and late October. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15 and ends November 30.
  • WHERE: Each year, many parts of the United States experience heavy rains, strong winds, floods, and coastal storm surges from tropical storms and hurricanes. Affected areas include all Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal areas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, parts of the Southwest, the Pacific Coast, and the U.S. territories in the Pacific.

Know the Risk

Do you want to have a better understanding of the hurricane risk you and your community face? Below is a map of the United States and the frequency of hurricane and tropical storm activity by county. Atlantic data dates back to 1851, while Pacific data includes storms since 1949.

Want to know more? Go to American’s PrepareAthon!

:Source Fema.com: