WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Monday marked the first day of hurricane season, and even though experts say it is expected to be below to near normal, they stress the time for Floridians to start preparing is now and some South Florida organizations are already gearing up.
The National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade is where experts are closely monitoring the tropics.
“Probably have not seen the very worst storm surge, or wind, or flooding rainfall that could happen where you live. So don’t let experience with a prior hurricane make you vulnerable to what could be coming this year. Every storm is different in terms of its size, its intensity, its impacts, its track,” said National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan.
Communities across South Florida are also preparing to help in case disaster strikes.
At the headquarters of the Global Empowerment Mission in Doral, thousands of emergency supply kits were packed with food, water, and hygiene products for families to use after a storm.
The nonprofit organization has delivered more than $700 million dollars in aid and relief supplies across 77 countries, and stands ready to respond if South Florida is impacted during hurricane season.
“Their presence here strengthens our emergency preparedness efforts,” said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga.
As the staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration do their job, it’s recommended to be prepared ahead of time and not wait until a storm is in the forecast to stock up.
“We have to be ready. This is the time to prepare. Have your survival kit, your family plan, that needs to be in place right now,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia. “We don’t want to have GEM coming into your community, helping your community and helping you, so you need to be ready, make sure that you have a three day supply, at least a three day supply for your family.”
Meanwhile in Coconut Creek, Food for the Poor, one of the nation’s largest relief and development organizations, is also preparing for the months ahead, with crews stocking and shipping emergency supplies that could become a lifeline for families across the Caribbean in the event of a storm.
“A lot of these items are multi-purpose, especially in terms of a natural disaster event, for example a tarp, you can use it as a blanket,” said Kyle Morris, Director of Disaster Preparedness at Food For The Poor.
For volunteers, the work is more than just delivering supplies, it’s about giving families hope when they need it most.
“When you think about it, they may not have the means to purchase these items, so being able to provide these items makes a huge difference,” said Kivette Silvera.
During hurricane season, residents should have essentials like food, water, medications and other supplies ready to go.
It is also important to be aware as to whether residents live in an evacuation zone and have a plan in place for them and their families.
“I don’t think people really realize that a lot of the evacuation zones that exist along the coast are primarily designed based on storm surge risk, and so, when we provide a storm surge forecast, it’s really to kind of communicate that risk,” said Cody Fritz, Storm Surge Unit Lead at NOAA.
Experts said that hurricane force winds are not the real danger, but instead, the water from storm surge.
NOAA has named around eight to 14 possible storms this season, with one to six hurricanes.
“The forecast for this hurricane season calls for a below normal number of storms. However, it is not a landfall forecast,” said meteorologist Robert Molleda. “In other words, we don’t know where these storms are going to form or where they’re going to hit during the season; therefore, in South Florida, we need to be ready just like any other year.”
Forecasters have stressed that all it takes is one storm to make landfall to make it a memorable season.
“We have to remember it only takes one storm to hit us for it to be a bad hurricane season,” said Daniel Brown, Branch Chief of Hurricane Specialist Unit at NOAA. “You think of 1992, that was the year we had Hurricane Andrew; we only had seven named storms, four hurricanes and one major that year, but that storm was Hurricane Andrew, which really devastated parts of South Florida.”
Organizations across Soith Florida say the the best defense for hurricanes is preparation, even before the first storm forms.
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