Most Americans are under the impression that the Atlantic Ocean is the world’s hotbed of hurricane activity. Interestingly, however, the Pacific Ocean has nearly four times the number of hurricanes that the Atlantic does, but most of them never make landfall, staying out at sea. So for Americans, the eastern seaboard, including the Gulf of Mexico’s coastline, are where most hurricanes come to shore.

The average number of intense tropical storms in the North Atlantic is about 10 per year. About half of those turn into hurricanes and 2 of those will become “intense.” The North Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 st and ends on November 30 th with most hurricanes forming between August 15 and October 15, “peaking” on September 10 th.

Most scientists see a pattern in the way hurricanes occur over time. Atlantic hurricanes, for instance, seem to oscillate on a 50-70 year cycle called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. This time series shows a peak and valley graph of hurricane occurrences over time, starting at the mean (average) and going up and down every year. Currently, we are in the middle of a peak series, which began in 1995 and will run until about 2020 or so.

The areas most likely to be hit by hurricanes are hard to judge, outside of generic terms like “Mid-Atlantic” and “Gulf Coast.” Many hurricanes make landfall but do little damage, but hurricanes have been doing much more damage (measured in dollar figures) for the past few decades because populations in coastal regions have become much more densely packed.

The State of Florida takes the brunt of most hurricanes, tropical storms, and disturbances because of its location. It has more coastline than any other state (coast:landmass) and its coastlines run along both the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico. Even storms which don’t actually make landfall in Florida often skirt the coast, sending wind, rain, and high waves into Florida’s coast.

The states immediately north of Florida also are usually hardest-hit when hurricanes come to shore. East of Florida, into the Gulf of Mexico, however, many states are sheltered by Florida’s projection into the sea and most hurricanes make landfall further east in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Hurricanes are measured in intensity on what’s called the Saffir-Simpson Scale for Atlantic Hurricanes (or just Saffic-Simpson). On this scale, a category 1 hurricane has wind speeds of 74-95 miles per hour and a potential damage scale of 1 – most damage is to shrubbery, small trees, mobile homes, etc. but no serious damage to permanent structures or large watercraft.

From there, the categories go upwards to a level 5, catastrophic storm (winds over 155mph) which has a damage rating of 500, or 500 times as intense as a category 1. Most storms that cause enough damage to make the nightly news are category 2-3 storms and most hurricanes that make landfall in the Atlantic are category 1-3 storms.

A hurricane is a tropical storm that has winds of over 74mph.  “Hurricane” is a word meaning “evil spirit and big wind” in the Caribbean Indian language.  Hurricanes need three things to form: warm water, moist air, and converging winds.  A hurricane forms when winds meet over warm water (at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and push each other in a circular pattern.  Most Atlantic hurricanes begin on the west coast of Africa and are pushed across the ocean to the east coast of the USA.

The majority of hurricanes begin near the equatorial belt.  This is because at that point, the Coriolis effect (gravitational spin of the earth) converges there with leftward-circulating winds from the south meeting rightward-circulating winds from the north.

As the winds spin, they pull warm air from the water’s surface and push it upwards, creating a funnel.  This funnel is called the eye of the hurricane and is, surprisingly, very calm.  The wall of the eye (or Eye Wall), however, is where the wind is most turbulent as it compresses into a relatively tight space with the spin of the cloud formations.  The clouds are formed from the moisture pulled up from the water’s surface as the air rises from it.

From the center of the hurricane’s eye to the Eye Wall is calm.  From the Eye Wall outward it is turbulent, but becomes decreasingly so as the area of the storm gets larger.  The cirulating wind and cloud formations around the eye are the rain bands where rain falls, but is often evaporated back into the storm before touching down.

As it spins in this way (left if headed south, right if headed north), the hurricane will feed on itself, using the heat of the water below as its fuel source.  Hurricanes grow and recirculate much of their energy as they move, creating a snowball effect of larger clouds and heavier winds.  Because the hurricane requires warm water to fuel it, however, it usually loses most of its force upon landfall or when moving into cooler climates where the water isn’t as warm.

Many storms, for instance, will become hurricanes on the weather map only to move into a micro-climate of cooler water (perhaps a current of cooler water originating at the pole) and then lose their force, dying off.

A hurricane’s life span is usually measured in a few short days.  The storm will begin as a tropical depression, or a low pressure zone in the tropics with relatively low wind speeds.  As the winds feed on each other and the storm moves north or south of the equator, the spin will increase and wind speeds will get up near 40mph or more.  At this point, the baby hurricane has become a tropical storm.

Eventually, if conditions are right, the tropical storm will continue moving north or southwards and will reach wind speeds of over 74mph.  It is then a hurricane.  In general, the less spread out a hurricane is, the more potential damage it can do during landfall.  Think of it as a ball thrown at your nose.  The bigger the ball is, the more spread out the impact area will be and the less damage your nose will incur.    Smaller balls like baseballs or golf balls, however, will hit your nose directly and put all of their force in a smaller area, causing more damage.

Every year, on average, about 100 tropical storms develop.  Of those, about half become hurricanes and of those, barely 5-10% actual make landfall in an inhabited area.  Most hurricanes never make the shore, instead running themselves out over open water.

If you live in an area where hurricanes are possible, you will want to be prepared for them.  Nothing is worse than being in a near-disaster situation and having nothing ready or available because you didn’t think ahead.  Making a hurricane preparedness kit for your family is easy.  Every person needs the same basic things, which will comprise the “core” of your kit, then specialty items for your particular needs or situation are added to that to complete the preparedness kit.

To start with, you will want a container or containers for your kit.  These should be portable (like backpacks or book bags), have plenty of space and pockets for the items to be contained in them, and should be clearly labeled as an emergency kit.

The number of containers you’ll need will depend on the number of people you need to be prepared for.  If you have a family of four, you will likely need at least two bags – one for each adult or well-grown child to carry.  Each kit will have a “core” supply for two people in it as well as any extras that might be needed.  In this way, if one kit isn’t retrieved or available during the storm, you at least have half of your items and essentials with you.

The core of your kit will include the following items:

• Non-perishable food (canned goods, survival biscuits, etc. in a 72-hour quantity per person)
• Water (1 gallon per day per person is recommended)
• Utensils and tools for opening/using, the above items (can opener, a good knife, etc.).
• One AA or better (AA, C, or D-cell) flashlight plus an extra set of batteries.
• 3 or more large sized garbage bags (33 gallon bags).
• Toilet paper, hand soap, toothpaste and toothbrush.
• Battery operated radio, preferably with a wind-up backup.
• First aid kit and instructions.
• An adjustable wrench or heavy pliers suitable for shutting off valves to close off water, gas, and other potential hazards entering your home during a storm.

These are the barest essentials for you to have in your kit.  After these, you will add specific extras that you need to keep yourself and loved ones safe.  Anyone on medications should have at least 3 days worth in the bag.  Baby formula and diapers for the little ones, if needed.  A 72-hour diaper bag is a good idea, but should be over and above basic diapering and feeding in your “grab and go” bag.

Other ideas like toys, board or card games, and entertainment items that don’t require electricity to operate are also a good idea.  Especially with children.

This comprises your basic 72-hour hurricane preparedness kit.  It should cover most of your most basic needs during an event.  Other things to consider are valuables, important documents, and so forth.  These should be stored in a water-tight, fireproof safe (available at most department and hardware stores).  Having them in a portable version may be a good idea, though this could raise theft or security issues.

You should also keep a running list of important (expensive) household items, including serial numbers, purchase price, and month/year of purchase in your safe.  This is for insurance purposes and will help you greatly in figuring your losses after the event is over.

Although a hurricane is scary and can be dangerous, if you’re prepared for it, you have a much better chance of getting through without anything more than a lot of inconvenience.

Since your house is probably your single biggest investment, if you live in places where hurricanes are at all common you should do your best to protect it. One common way is with hurricane shutters. Hurricane shutters will protect your windows as well as keep out wind and rain due to broken windows. Miami is one area where every house should have window protections of some kind. Here are some of the most common Miami hurricane shutters.

Accordian Hurricane Shutters

Accordian shutters are permanently attached and normally stored beside the window when not in use. These shutters pull across the window and unfold like an accordian when deployed. They are easy to pull out and set by a single person and some can be locked to prevent theft while you are away from the house. Unfortunately, they don’t fit in with the style of the house and can be ugly.

Colonial Hurricane Shutters

These shutters attach to the wall beside the window and then come together over the window when deployed. They are permanently attached and unlike the accoridan style, can enhance the look of the house. They can’t, however, protect doors so you must use some other type of shutter system for doors. Also, some require a bar down the center to keep them closed.

Bahama Hurricane Shutters

These are one piece shutters that are permanently attached to the house above the window and prop open to shade the window. They can be nice looking and the shade they provide can also be beneficial. They are easy to drop down by one person. Some types aren’t as strong as other systems so be sure to check. Also, like colonial style, they can’t be used to protect doors.

Roll-Down Hurricane Shutters

This type of hurricane shutter attaches above the window. The shutter rolls up into a housing when not in use. They can be lowered either with a hand crank or by an electric motor. Electric roll-down shutters are easy for one person to lower, but you should have a battery back-up system to make sure that you can roll them up and down if the electricity goes out. Roll-down shutters are more expensive than other types of hurricane shutters.

Storm Panels

These are metal shutters that attach to the walls over windows. This type of hurricane shutters are removed completely when not in use so they don’t detract from the look of the home. Because of this, however, it can be difficult for a single person to deploy in the event of a hurricane. They are quite strong and can protect both windows and doors. You’ll need somewhere to store the panels when not in use and you should periodically inspect the panels to make sure that they are all present and in good shape.

No matter which type you choose, be sure to get a reputable and professional installer to make sure that your home is properly protected. Your installer can discuss the different types of shutters and help you select the best type for your specific house.