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Summer Insurance Tips...
Hurricane and Severe Thunderstorm Season
Why should you be concerned about Thunderstorms?
Because they can produce...
- Tornadoes
- Cause an average 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries a year
- Produce wind speeds in excess of 250 mph
- Can be up to a mile wide and stay on the ground for over 50 miles
- Lightning
- Causes an average 80 fatalities and 300 injuries a year
- Occurs with ALL thunderstorms
- Strong Winds
- Can exceed 100 mph
- Can cause damage equal to a tornado
- Can be extremely dangerous to aviation
- Flash Flooding
- Is the #1 cause of deaths associated with thunderstorms...more than 140 fatalities a year
- Hail
- Causes more than $1 billion dollars in crop and property damage
Who's Most at Risk from Thunderstorms
Here is a handy pdf document from the NOAA website about thunderstorms and how to prepare for them...just click here to view it
To view PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click the logo below to download the latest version
Summertime is Hurricane Season...
Are YOU Prepared?
Official hurricane season begins June 1st and ends November 30th
Click below to get more
TIPS ON HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
Hurricane Tracking Charts
(Click on an image of either tracking chart to download and view the PDF file)
The Six Year list of Names for Atlantic Storms
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|
Alex |
Arlene |
Alberto |
Andrea |
Arthur |
Ana |
Why are hurricanes named?
Experience shows that the use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, airports, coastal bases, and ships at sea.
The use of easily remembered names greatly reduces confusion when two or more tropical storms occur at the same time. For example, one hurricane can be moving slowly westward in the Gulf of Mexico, while at exactly the same time another hurricane can be moving rapidly northward along the Atlantic coast. In the past, confusion and false rumors have arisen when storm advisories broadcast from one radio station were mistaken for warnings concerning an entirely different storm located hundreds of miles away.
Links to other important hurricane documents...
Related resources
- Seasonal Insurance Tips.
- Helpful Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions Following a Disaster
- Insurance Tidbits
- SC Wind Pool Info
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The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Category One Hurricane
Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr). Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal. No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage
Category Two Hurricane
Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr). Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings
Category Three Hurricane
Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal. Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by battering from floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more. Evacuation of low-lying residences with several blocks of the shoreline may be required.
Category Four Hurricane
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km)
Category Five Hurricane
Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required.