Preparedness: Get a Disaster Preparedness Kit

You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer. 

Basic Items for Disaster Preparedness Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger 

Additional items you may wish to include:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) - PDF, 277Kb) developed by Operation Hope, FEMA and Citizen Corps to help you organize your information.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Tropical System in Gulf of Mexico

If you're planning a Labor Day weekend on the Gulf Coast, you may want to stay informed about a developing tropical system that could affect your plans.

Currently called "Invest 93L", the area of disturbed weather has the potential to organize into a tropical storm sometime this weekend.  Today, shearing is preventing the storm from getting more organized, but conditions are expected to improve late today and tomorrow to support tropical storm development.    Since it's still disorganized, any attempt at forecasting a track is simply a best-guess situation.  However, I've attached the current track models below.

Please stay up to date as we go into the weekend.  This could end up being a rain event, or could become a hurricane in the Gulf.

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT THU SEP 1 2011

FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...

THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON HURRICANE
KATIA...LOCATED ABOUT 1065 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.

1. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED OVER THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO IS
PRODUCING A LARGE AREA OF CLOUDINESS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY
WINDS MAINLY ON ITS EAST SIDE. UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE CURRENTLY
UNFAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT.  HOWEVER...CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO
BECOME MORE CONDUCIVE LATER TODAY...AND THE SYSTEM COULD BECOME A
TROPICAL DEPRESSION DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.  THIS SYSTEM HAS A
HIGH CHANCE...70 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING
THE NEXT 48 HOURS AS IT MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD.  INTERESTS
ALONG THE ENTIRE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST SHOULD MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF THIS DISTURBANCE.

2. A NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS LOCATED ABOUT 360 MILES NORTH
OF BERMUDA.  THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEASTWARD AT 10 TO 15
MPH WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. 
THIS SYSTEM HAS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL
CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.

ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.

$$
FORECASTER PASCH/CANGIALOSI

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
805 AM EDT THU SEP 01 2011

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL 
AMERICA...GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN SECTIONS OF 
SOUTH AMERICA...AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE 
EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE 
IMAGERY...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL 
ANALYSIS.

BASED ON 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1115 UTC.

...SPECIAL FEATURES...

HURRICANE KATIA IS CENTERED NEAR 15.2N 45.9W AT 01/0900 UTC OR 
ABOUT ABOUT 925 NM E OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS MOVING WEST AT 17 
KT. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 987 MB. MAXIMUM 
SUSTAINED WIND SPEED IS 65 KT WITH GUSTS TO 80 KT. PLEASE 
READ THE LATEST INTERMEDIATE PUBLIC ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO 
HEADER MIATCPAT2/WTNT32 KNHC AND THE FULL FORECAST/ADVISORY 
UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADER MIATCMAT2/WTNT22 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. 
NUMEROUS STRONG CONVECTION COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM 
14N-16N BETWEEN 44W-49W. ELSEWHERE SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION 
EXTENDS FROM 11N-18N BETWEEN 42W-49W.

A TROPICAL WAVE EXTENDS FROM THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO AT 
27N89W TO S MEXICO AT 16N92W MOVING W AT 10 KT. SCATTERED 
MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS OVER S MEXICO AND 
GUATEMALA FROM 14N-18N BETWEEN 91W-96W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED 
MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION ARE ELSEWHERE OVER THE E GULF OF 
MEXICO...THE YUCATAN CHANNEL...AND THE NW CARIBBEAN FROM 19N-29N 
BETWEEN 83W-89W. CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO BECOME MORE 
CONDUCIVE LATER TODAY...AND THE SYSTEM COULD BECOME A TROPICAL 
DEPRESSION DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THIS SYSTEM HAS A HIGH 
CHANCE OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS 
AS IT MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWESTWARD. INTERESTS ALONG THE ENTIRE 
NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO COAST SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF 
THIS DISTURBANCE.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT
HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE

$$
FORMOSA/PAW

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Hurricane Irene, Aug 27, 10am Update

While downgraded to a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Irene still presents a threat to the Northeast as she moves ashore.  Updated graphics reflecting the 10am forecast update are below.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Hurricane Irene, Aug 26, 4:00pm Update

Hurricane Irene appears to have weakened slightly, but is still a dangerous storm for the East Coast.  Hurricane Warnings are in effect from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Currently a Category 2 storm, Irene is forecast to weaken to a Category 1 storm on Saturday.  However, due to the projected track, areas in the path will be subjected to strong winds and rain for a number of hours.

As with previous posts, the first image depicts the current wind fields and error cone.  The second represents the projected wind fields along the current forecast track.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Hurricane Irene, Aug 25 PM Update

The first image depicts the error cone as of the National Hurricane Center's 7pm update on August 25.  The second depicts the wind field distribution for the same forecast.  This does not bode well for the Northeast, as they do not see hurricanes very often.

There will not be a morning update on August 26 on this website, as I will be away from my computer.  I will update as soon as I can.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Hurricane Irene Update, Aug 25, 2011

This morning's forecast has Irene moving back to the west, placing more of the Carolinas in the threatened area than yesterday.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from Edisto Beach, SC to Surf City, NC.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect from north of Surf City, NC to the North Carolina - Virginia border,

Hurricane Irene is currently a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. 

This graphic depicts the error cone - the area that could be affected.  The forecast track (center line) is the best estimate, but any area inside the error cone should be considered at risk.

This graphic depicts the wind field distribution along the forecast track.  The blue envelope represents winds greater than 39 mph (tropical storm force).  The yellow envelope represents winds greater than 58 mph.  The red envelope represents wind speeds greater than 75 mph (hurricane force).

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***

Hurricane Irene Update

Here's the latest forecast update for Hurricane Irene.

Essentially, each new advisory pushes Irene a little more east.  Originally aimed for Florida, the forecast moved to Georgia, the Carolinas, to the Potomac Region, and now on to the Northeast states.  This improves the situation for the southeastern states, as the wind fields will stay well off the coastal areas.  However, it does not bode well for the areas from North Carolina's Outer Banks, to Long Island to Cape Cod.  Such is the difficulty in weather forecasting.

The real issue, however, isn't the accuracy of a forecast.  The issue is the degree of preparedness in each of the communities that are potentially in harm's way.  For now, I'll let this blog entry stand for the information intended, a forecast update.  We'll discuss family and neighborhood preparedness in a future post.

***DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE AS YOUR SOLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY WATCHES AND WARNINGS. THIS WEBSITE DELIVERS FOCUSED INFORMATION FOR A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TIMELY WEATHER WARNING INFORMATION***