FRAMINGHAM, MA - To help increase public awareness of the effects hurricanes and tropical storms can have on the Commonwealth and the preparedness steps we all must take, over the next fourteen weeks the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will again be disseminating important information to ensure the continued safety of our citizens and property.
"In 2012, we witnessed the destructive power of Hurricane Sandy in neighboring states immediately to our south, as Massachusetts was fortunate to be spared the worst of that storm," stated MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz. "As we enter the hurricane season, with forecasts of above average Atlantic hurricane activity, we must continually prepare for the region's next major storm."
MEMA will be continually promoting Hurricane Preparedness through weekly news releases highlighting key issues relative to the New England Hurricane Season. In addition, there will continue to be workshops, exercises and drills to help local officials prepare. Important Hurricane Preparedness information will be available on the MEMA website at www.mass.gov/mema, Facebook and Twitter pages. Topics will include Massachusetts' Hurricane History, Preparedness Tips for Families, Home Owners, Pet Owners, Boaters, Businesses, Inland Residents, as well as information about New Technologies, Sheltering-In-Place and Evacuation.
Although the Hurricane Season in New England is defined as June 1st to November 30th, 75% of the 40 tropical systems that have impacted our region in the past century have struck during the months of August and September. The last severe hurricane to hit Massachusetts was Hurricane Bob in August 1991. Bob, a Category 2 Hurricane, with winds between 91 and 110mph, caused almost $1 billion in damage, at the time. More recently, Hurricanes Edouard (1996), Bonnie (1998) and Bill (2009) threatened the Bay State, but veered out into the Atlantic as they traveled up the coast.
In 1999, Hurricane Floyd, although weakened to the strength of a tropical storm prior to its arrival in New England, demonstrated that these storms are not merely 'coastal events'. Most of that storm's impact was rain and flood related, causing severe damage as far west as the Berkshires.
As with Tropical Storm Irene, some of our most devastating flooding associated with these storms has occurred in Central and Western Massachusetts – up to 17" of rain fell in association with the Hurricane of 1938 and 25" of rain fell over a 5-day period in August 1955 from Connie & Diane, with the City of Westfield received 13.15" in a single day!
This demonstrates that the entire Commonwealth should take the proper Hurricane Season precautions.
Southern New England lies in the unenviable position of receiving all three "Hurricane Threats", depending upon the track and landfall location: 1) Coastal inundation due to storm surge 2) Widespread inland river flooding and 3) Widespread wind damage far inland.
SCHEDULE OF "HURRICANE SEASON" TOPICS
Week of June 3 – Beginning of Hurricane Season
Week of June 10 – New England Hurricanes of Note
Week of June 17 – Family Hurricane Preparedness
Week of June 24 – Preparing Your Home for a Hurricane
Week of July 1 – Power Outages during a Hurricane
Week of July 8 – Evacuation for a Hurricane
Week of July 15 – Sheltering in Place during a Hurricane
Week of July 22 – Cape Cod Emergency Traffic Plan
Week of July 29 – Inland Flooding from a Hurricane
Week of August 5 – Using Technology during a Hurricane
Week of August 12 – Protecting Your Pets during a Hurricane
Week of August 19 – Preparing Your Business for a Hurricane
Week of August 26 – Preparing Your Boat for a Hurricane
Week of September 2 – After the Hurricane Has Passed
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is the state agency responsible for coordinating federal, state, local, voluntary and private resources during emergencies and disasters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MEMA provides leadership to: develop plans for effective response to all hazards, disasters or threats; train emergency personnel to protect the public; provide information to the citizenry; and assist individuals, families, businesses and communities to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to and recover from emergencies, both natural and man made. For additional information about MEMA and Preparedness, go to www.mass.gov/mema. Also, continue to follow MEMA updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MassEMA; Facebook at www.facebook.com/MassachusettsEMA. Download the free ping4alert! app to your Smartphone to receive important weather alerts and emergency messages from MEMA. Easy instructions are available at www.mass.gov/mema/mobileappp.
HURRICANE NAMES – 2013 to 2018
The word "Hurricane" is derived from the Carib term for "God of Evil". In the West Indies hurricanes were originally named after the saint upon whose holyday the storm occurred. Until 1953, the custom was to refer to storms by their year or location i.e.: "The Hurricane of 1938" or "The Galveston Hurricane of 1900". In 1953, however, the National Hurricane Center began using female names, in alphabetical order. In 1979, alternating male and female names began. As listed below, six rotating lists of names are utilized for Atlantic Tropical Cyclones. An international committee of the World Meteorological Organization decides at the conclusion of each hurricane season if the name of an extremely deadly or costly storm should be retired and replaced on the list. These are the names utilized in the six-year cycle of names. Except for any retired names, in 2019 the 2013 list will be repeated. As we saw in 2005, once the 21 Tropical Cyclone names are used up, additional storms take the names from the letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.
Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Names 2013-2018
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
Andrea | Arthur | Ana | Alex | Arlene | Alberto |
Lee Ann Delp, RPL
Lead Dispatcher/ Director of EMA
Adjunct Instructor, APCO Institute
West Newbury Public Safety
401 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985
978-363-1103 Tel
978-363-1114 Fax
978-361-5232 Cell
leedelp@gmail.com
http://wnema.com/
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