'Be prepared': Officials urge hurricane readiness
The Rio Grande Valley and the entire United States witnessed an uneventful 2009 hurricane season, but Ofi Farrar isn’t about to become complacent this year.
A lifetime Brownsville resident, Farrar knows the dangers such storms can bring and remembers hiding under the bed as a child when Hurricane Beulah made landfall near the mouth of the Rio Grande in 1967. She said she would not be surprised if a major storm made landfall near the Valley sometime this hurricane season.
“I remember that hurricane so well I crawled under the bed and I cried … I was praying and crying,” she said while waiting for hurricane awareness fair to begin at the Brownsville Public Library. “We are well, well overdue.”
On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted at least seven major hurricanes could develop during the 2010 Atlantic season, which begins Tuesday.
According to agency estimates, there will be 14 to 23 tropical storms, eight to 14 hurricanes with top winds of 74 mph or higher and three to seven major hurricanes — Category 3 or higher — out on the Atlantic. A Category 3 storm has winds of at least 111 mph.
“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” Administrator Jane Lubchenco said in an agency press release. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”
The last time the U.S. experienced such an active season was in 2005, with 27 named storms and 15 of those becoming hurricanes. It was also the year that Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast killing thousands.
Local officials reiterated the NOAA’s preparation message Thursday and encouraged residents to start making preparations now.
“We’re ready. What I want to focus on is … getting the word out to the public,” he said. “I’d like to start getting the residents to understand that when a hurricane is on the horizon, they should start thinking about evacuating.”
George Garrett, who oversees emergency management in the Mid-Valley, said residents must learn exit routes and make decisions early if a hurricane is predicted to hit South Texas.
“People should give very serious consideration to the discomfort they will suffer after the storm,” Garrett said. “After (Hurricane) Dolly, we were without power for a long time. There was a lot of flooding, and a lot of mosquitoes.”
NOAA officials state the outlook range exceeds the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Other forecasters also had predicted this year would be a busy hurricane season.
Forecasters attribute their predictions to the weakening of El Niño in the eastern Pacific, warmer water temperatures in the Atlantic and a high activity era.
“Whether it’s going to be 14 or six, the preparations have got to be the same,” said Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos. “All it takes is one storm to hit us.”
Monitor staff writer Ana Ley contributed to this report.
Laura Martinez is a reporter for the The Brownsville Herald.
