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Texas
Interagency Interfaith Disaster Response
e-Buzz
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22 May 2007 |
Friend,
Today, Tuesday, May 22, 2007, you are
receiving the second installment of TIDR's public information
campaign for National
Hurricane Preparedness Week.
Today the focus will be on the hurricane
hazards: storm surge, high winds, tornadoes
and flooding. Read on to learn how to protect
yourself, your family and friends, and your property.
The new forecast for the 2007 Hurricane Season has been released
today. Our issue on Thursday will deal with forecasting--so
keep reading!
If you need more information or have information to share,
please contact us here at TIDR.
Peace,
Amy
Amy BeVille Elder, M.Div.
Executive Director, TIDR
amy@tidr.org
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Hurricane hazards come in many forms: storm
surge, high
winds, tornadoes,
and flooding.
This means it is important for your family to have
a plan that includes all of these
hazards. Look carefully at the safety actions associated
with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family
disaster plan accordingly. But remember this is only a guide.
The first and most important thing anyone should do when
facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.
You should be able to answer
the following questions before a hurricane threatens:
- What are the hurricane hazards?
- What does it mean to you?
- What actions should you take to be prepared?
Storm Surge
"The
greatest potential for loss of life related to a hurricane
is from the storm surge."
Storm surge is simply water that is pushed
toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around
the storm. This advancing surge combines with the normal
tides to create the hurricane storm tide, which can increase
the mean water level 15 feet or more. In addition, wind driven
waves are superimposed on the storm tide. This rise in water
level can cause severe flooding in coastal areas, particularly
when the storm tide coincides with the normal high tides.
Because much of the United States' densely populated Atlantic
and Gulf Coast coastlines lie less than 10 feet above mean
sea level, the danger from storm tides is tremendous.
High
Winds
The intensity of a landfalling hurricane is expressed in terms
of categories that relate wind speeds and potential damage. According
to the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale,
a Category 4 hurricane would
have winds between 131 and 155 mph and, on the average, would
usually be expected to cause
100 times the damage of the Category 1 storm. Depending
on circumstances, less intense storms may still be strong enough
to produce damage, particularly in areas that have not prepared
in advance.
Tropical storm-force winds are strong enough to be dangerous
to those caught in them. Hurricane-force winds can easily destroy
poorly constructed buildings and mobile homes. Debris such as
signs, roofing material, and small items left outside become
flying missiles in hurricanes. Extensive damage to trees, towers,
water and underground utility lines (from uprooted trees), and
fallen poles cause considerable disruption.
High-rise buildings are
also vulnerable to hurricane-force winds, particularly at the
higher levels since wind speed tends to increase with height. Recent
research suggests you should stay below the tenth floor,
but still above any floors at risk for flooding. It is not uncommon
for high-rise buildings to suffer a great deal of damage due
to windows being blown out. Consequently, the areas around these
buildings can be very dangerous.
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High
Wind Safety Information
before hurricane season
- Find out if your home meets current
building code requirements for high-winds. Experts
agree that structures built to meet or exceed current
building code high-wind provisions have a much better
chance of surviving violent windstorms. Visit ibhs.org for
more information.
- Protect all windows by installing
commercial shutters of preparing 5/8" plywood panels.
- Garage doors are frequently the first
features in a home to fail. Reinforce all garage
doors so that they are able to withstand high winds.
- If you do not live in an evacuation
zone or a mobile home, designate an interior room
with no windows or external doors as a "Safe Room."
- Before hurricane season, assess your
property to ensure that landscaping and trees do
not become a wind hazard. Trim dead wood and
weak/overhanging branches from all trees. Certain
trees and bushes are vulnerable to high winds and
any dead tree near a home is a hazard. Consider landscaping
materials other than gravel or rock.
as
a hurricane approaches
- Most mobile/manufactured homes are
not built to withstand hurricane force winds. Residents
of homes not meeting that level of safety should
relocate to a nearby safe strucure once local officials
issue a hurricane evacuation order for their community.
- Once a hurricane warning is issued,
install your window shutters or plywood panels. More
info here.
- When a hurricane warning is issued
for your community, secure or bring inside all lawn
furniture and other outside objects that could become
a projectile in high wind.
- Listen carefully for safety instructions
from local officials, and go to your designated "Safe
Room" when directed to do so.
- Monitor NOAA
weather radio.
- Do not leave your "Safe Room" until
directed to do so by local officials, even if it
appears that the winds calmed. Remember that
there is little to no wind in the eye of a hurricane.
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Tornadoes
- When associated with hurricanes,
tornadoes are not usually accompanied by hail or
a lot of lightning, clues that citizens in other
parts of the country watch for.
- Tornado production can occur for
days after landfall when the tropical cyclone remnants
maintain an identifiable low-pressure circulation.
- They can also develop at any time
of the day or night during landfall. However,
by 12 hours after landfall, tornadoes tend to occur
mainly during daytime hours.
Fujita
Scale
The Fujita scale (F-scale) uses actual
damage to determine a tornado's wind speed.
- F0
Gale Tornado: 40-72 mph. Some damage to
chimneys. Tree branches broken off. Shallow rooted
trees uprooted.
- F1
Moderate Tornado: 73-112 mph. Peels surface
off roofs. Mobile homes overturned. Moving autos
pushed off roads.
- F2
Significant Tornado: 113-157 mph. Considerable
damage. Roofs torn off frame houses. Large trees
snapped or uprooted. Light-object missles generated.
- F3
Severe Tornado: 158-206 mph. Severe damage.
Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed
homes. Trains overturned. Most trees in forests
uprooted. Heavy cars lifted off ground.
- F4
Devastating Tornado: 207-260 mph. Well-constructed
houses leveled. Structures with weak foundations
blown off some distance. Cars thrown and large
missles generated.
- F5
Incredible Tornado: 261-318 mph. Strong
frams houses lifted off foundations and disintegrated.
Automobile-sized missles fly through the air
in excess of 100mph. Trees debarked.
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Flooding
"In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, inland
flooding was responsible for more than half of the deaths
associated with tropical cyclones in the United States."
Ed
Rappaport
National Hurricane Center
Consider
the following:
When it comes to hurricanes, wind speeds do not tell the
whole story. Hurricanes produce storm surges, tornadoes,
and often the most deadly of all - inland flooding.
Inland flooding can be a major threat to communities hundreds
of miles from the coast as intense rain falls from these huge
tropical air masses.
Tropical Storm Allison (2001) produced extremely heavy rainfall
and catastrophic floods in the Houston, Texas area. Forty-one
deaths were directly related to the heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes,
and high surf. Damage estimates reported by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) were near $5 billion, with approximately
$4.8 billion in the Houston metropolitan area alone.
Hurricane Floyd (1999) brought intense rains and record flooding
to the Eastern U.S. Of the 56 people who perished, 50 drowned
due to inland flooding.
Hurricane Agnes (1972) produced floods in the Northeast United
States which contributed to 122 deaths and $6.4 billion in damages.
In a study from 1970 to 1999, freshwater flooding accounted for
more than half (59%) of U.S. tropical cyclone deaths. These floods
are why 63% of U.S. tropical cyclone deaths during that period
occurred in inland counties.
At least 23% of U.S. tropical
cyclone deaths occur to people who drown in, or attempting to
abandon, their cars.
78% of children killed by tropical cyclones drowned in freshwater
floods.
So, the next time you hear hurricane -- think inland flooding!
What can you do?
- When you hear hurricane, think inland
flooding.
- Determine whether you live in a potential
flood zone.
- If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Keep abreast of road conditions through
the news media.
- Move to a safe area before access
is cut off by floodwater.
- Do
not attempt to cross flowing water. As little
as six inches of water may cause you to lose control
of your vehicle.
- Develop a flood emergency plan.
- Have flood insurance. Flood damage
is NOTusually covered by homeowners' insurance. Do
not make assumptions. Check your policy.
The National
Flood Insurance Program is a
pre-disaster flood mitigation and insurance protection
program. The NFIP makes federally backed flood insurance
available to residents and business owners.
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Texas Interagency Interfaith Disaster Response
~an inclusive community collaboration~
5207 Airport Blvd. Austin, TX 78751
www.tidr.org
info@tidr.org
512.458.8848 |
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