Prepare For Upcoming Hurricane Season

While trees toppled on campus in Durham and wind ripped shingles off buildings in Beaufort, the impact to Duke during last year's Hurricane Irene was minor compared to damage across North Carolina.

To help communities be ready before a storm approaches, the National Weather Service is holding "Hurricane Preparedness Week" May 27 to June 2. This year's forecast for the Atlantic region calls for normal or below normal activity, meaning the season could feature up to 12 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Names for this year's crop of storms include Alberto, Irene, Kirk, Patty, and more.

Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

"It is important that members of our community actively prepare for a new hurricane season," said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration and emergency management coordinator. "Although we are not on the coast, we have witnessed the impact of hurricanes, and we want everyone to be as prepared as possible."

As part of its severe weather preparedness plan, Duke monitors local forecasts on a daily basis and receives alerts through a subscription weather service. Each week, a liaison from Duke Police also participates in a live, web conference call with the local National Weather Service. If a forecast calls for the potential for severe weather, Cavanaugh, as Duke's emergency coordinator, is contacted, and meets with Duke's Severe Operations Team to review plans and preparations.

If weather conditions warrant, Duke uses its DukeALERT emergency notification system to inform Duke community members of severe weather.Duke community members are also encouraged to review safety tips and what to do in an emergency on the DukeALERT website. To prepare for hurricane season, faculty and staff should review and discuss their service categories with supervisors. "Essential" service staff report to or remain at work; "reserve" service employees will be assigned at the time of the event and "delayed" service do not report to or remain at work.

Shawna Cokley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh, said that coastal conditions have concluded a La Nina system and will remain neutral through the summer. Cokley noted that neutral systems do not  impact hurricane activity one way or another. La Nina or El Nino systems, which affect sea-surface temperature, can impact the intensity and track of storms.

"While we don't have to worry about coastal flooding in our area of the Triangle, it's still a good idea to be prepared in case we get heavy rains and high winds that cause damage," Cokley said. "It's important to set plans ahead of time so you don't have to worry about first aid, food or water."

During hurricane season, the peak threat to the U.S. is from the middle of August through late October.

As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week, the National Weather Service offers a series of instructional videos on topics like hurricane basics, inland flooding and creating plans for dealing with hurricanes. The videos can be viewed on the organization's YouTube page.

For more information about Hurricane Preparedness Week and severe weather, visit the National Weather Service website.