It's Hurrican Season: Be Prepared

Editor's note: The following is from a press release:

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 14 weeks the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will again be disseminating important information to ensure the continued safety of our citizens and property.
 
“As with Irene in 2011, we have witnessed the severity of these storms and their destructive power here in Massachusetts as well as throughout other areas of the country,” stated MEMA acting director Kurt Schwartz. “As we enter the hurricane season, we must continually prepare for the region’s next major storm.”

Although the Hurricane Season in New England is defined as June 1 to November 30, 75 percent 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 and 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 4 – Beginning of Hurricane Season
Week of June 11 – New England Hurricanes of Note
Week of June 18 – Family Hurricane Preparedness
Week of June 25 – Preparing Your Home for a Hurricane
Week of July 2 – Power Outages during a Hurricane
Week of July 9 – Evacuation for a Hurricane
Week of July 16 – Sheltering in Place during a Hurricane
Week of July 23 – Cape Cod Emergency Traffic Plan
Week of July 30 – Inland Flooding from a Hurricane
Week of August 6 – Hurricane Challenges for People Requiring Additional Assistance
Week of August 13 – Protecting Your Pets during a Hurricane
Week of August 20 – Preparing Your Business for a Hurricane
Week of August 27 – Preparing Your Boat for a Hurricane
Week of September 3 – After the Storm

Important Hurricane Preparedness information will be available on the MEMA website at www.mass.gov/mema, Facebook and Twitter pages.