Debbie Lord

1 week ago | 1055thedove.com | Natalie Dreier |Debbie Lord

Emergency management officials are quick to remind those living in coastal areas that it’s the water that a hurricane brings that is the biggest threat to lives and property. According to the National Hurricane Center, storm surge, or the wall or water a hurricane pushes on land as it moves onshore, is the leading cause of deaths from hurricanes. The danger of storm surge is so great that in 2017, the NHC changed its warning system to include a separate warning for surge alone.

1 week ago | wsoctv.com | Debbie Lord

One was a structural engineer who thought in the ways engineers are trained to — logically and result-oriented. The other, was a meteorologist who, at age 6, had survived one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the United States, and was eager to warn others of the destructive potential of a tropical weather system. Together, engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson developed a system that offered people who live in storm-prone areas a clear early warning of trouble to come.

1 week ago | 1055thedove.com | Debbie Lord

The East Coast is no stranger to hurricanes and the destruction that follows. The Saffir-Simpson scale was developed to help determine damage and flooding before it strikes. A hurricane is a rotating low-pressure weather system that converts the energy of warm air into winds and waves. Hurricanes have “warm core” centers, meaning the center of the storm is warmer than the surrounding air. Warm ocean temperatures and wind patterns that spiral air inward are necessary for a hurricane to form.

1 week ago | 1055thedove.com | Debbie Lord

If you are looking for information to evacuate before a storm, here is a list of apps and websites that may help. For the Federal Aviation Administration’s major airport status, visit the FAA’s National Airspace System. You can also search for specific flights using FlightAware. For gas availability, visit GasBuddy. For traffic slowdowns or wrecks, road closures and other real-time traffic issues, use apps such as Waze or Google Maps.

1 week ago | 1055thedove.com | Debbie Lord

Here are some safety tips fromReady.gov that could save your life during a hurricane. 1. If you are ordered to evacuate, you need to evacuate. The best way to stay safe is to be away from the storm’s landfall. The orders to evacuate are issued based on historical flood maps and the strength of the storm. 2.