Experts share advice ahead of Florida’s hurricane season
While some Floridians are still recovering after the record-breaking 2024 hurricane season, meteorologists have started making their predictions for this year.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Hubbard said this hurricane season — about a month and a half away — might look like last year’s.
“What we’re looking at in the moment for what the trends currently are, looks like it’ll probably be above normal for this season, but exact numbers are still a question mark.”
Last year’s hurricanes were also set to be “above normal.” With this year expected to head in the same direction, Hubbard said the definition of the term changes.
Florida has been experiencing above-normal numbers for the last several years, but prior to that, it had been below normal for a while.
“It’s kind of a cyclic thing,” Hubbard said. “We’re just in that higher-than-normal time frame. So we’ll see how that continues to change.”
But in Florida, it is always important to be prepared.
Hubbard said that, regardless of where residents live, they will still be impacted by storms in the state.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a vulnerable season or a normal season, because it only takes one storm to completely ruin things for you and to be truly devastating,” Hubbard said.
Jose Bueno, American Red Cross resilience and preparedness manager, said residents should start preparing now.
“It takes about 13 weeks for an average family to put together all the items that we suggest,” Bueno said. “Now is the perfect time to start collecting the items.”
On a daily basis, Bueno works with families, teaching them how to prepare for the next hurricane. After a hurricane occurs, he provides financial assistance to affected families.
Bueno said it is important to start building an evacuation kit as soon as possible so the cost of buying everything at once isn’t overwhelming.
It takes about $50 worth of supplies to make a good hurricane kit, so buying one item per week is a good idea, Bueno said.
Bueno said having flashlights, batteries, a week’s worth of food and water and medication is essential to have in a hurricane kit, even when going to an evacuation shelter.
“The evacuation shelters are just a roof and that’s it,” Bueno said. “There is nothing there, no food. You have to bring your own stuff.”
Bueno said it is important to have a document with proof of address ready, since that’s the first thing FEMA and the American Red Cross will need to provide assistance.
The American Red Cross hurricane preparation list mentions evacuating early, finding a safe shelter, watching or listening to the news, buying emergency supplies and more.
Residents should also know which evacuation zone they live in, Bueno said.
“You won’t be surprised how many families call me two or three hours before the hurricane asking me, ‘Hey, what zone do I belong to?’ And it’s very important to know those things so you can evacuate,” he said.
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