thedrifter
06-02-07, 06:51 AM
Officials: Get prepared for hurricane season
By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 1, 2007 17:07:44 EDT
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Marines stationed along the East and Gulf Coasts should prepare for the hurricane season that started Friday — a season that is predicted to be worse than normal, officials say.
“It’s important for people to be prepared because of the lack of timing that you have to deal with a storm,” said Tom Phillips, director of operations and plans for Marine Corps Installations East and Camp Lejeune, N.C. “You can’t be lackadaisical about preparing for storms, particularly if you’re responsible for children and pets.”
The typical warning time for storms is about 96 hours, he said. But there are cases in which a storm will form and give a much smaller window — 24 to 48 hours — to prepare.
That’s not much time to figure out an evacuation plan, determine how much money you have in case you have to stay in a hotel and make sure your pets are in a safe place should you have to leave them behind, Phillips said.
Forecasters predict this year’s hurricane season will churn up 13 to 17 named storms, seven to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes.
The six-month hurricane season, which peaks August through October, also requires planning by base officials, including when to call for an evacuation.
“One of the things we don’t want to do is have a mass evacuation if we can help it,” Phillips said. “If you have a mass evacuation, what you’ve really done is encumbered the road networks, so you make it difficult for really anyone to evacuate.”
Marine Corps installations near the Atlantic coastline alone include 80,000 people, he said. One of the struggles of dealing with locations such as Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., is that it takes at least an hour to get to major interstates during an evacuation.
With that in mind, Marines and their families need to think through their comfort level: Do you feel comfortable riding out a Category 3 storm with winds between 111 mph and 130 mph and storm surges ranging between nine and 12 feet?
“With Marines being deployed, the burden will often rest on a young wife and mother, and she really needs to think about where she feels safest,” Phillips said.
Once a storm has passed, Marines could be called on to help civilian communities in post-storm recuperation efforts. Some governors, including North Carolina’s, have warned that with National Guard equipment depleted because of the war in Iraq, they’re not equipped to handle recovery efforts should a major storm strike.
“I think you could expect that, particularly since we’re so close,” Phillips said.
Check your base’s Web site for further hurricane information. Marine Forces Reserve also has information on its Web site.
What you need to be ready if a hurricane hits
www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/06/marine_hurricane_checklist_070601/
Ellie
By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 1, 2007 17:07:44 EDT
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Marines stationed along the East and Gulf Coasts should prepare for the hurricane season that started Friday — a season that is predicted to be worse than normal, officials say.
“It’s important for people to be prepared because of the lack of timing that you have to deal with a storm,” said Tom Phillips, director of operations and plans for Marine Corps Installations East and Camp Lejeune, N.C. “You can’t be lackadaisical about preparing for storms, particularly if you’re responsible for children and pets.”
The typical warning time for storms is about 96 hours, he said. But there are cases in which a storm will form and give a much smaller window — 24 to 48 hours — to prepare.
That’s not much time to figure out an evacuation plan, determine how much money you have in case you have to stay in a hotel and make sure your pets are in a safe place should you have to leave them behind, Phillips said.
Forecasters predict this year’s hurricane season will churn up 13 to 17 named storms, seven to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes.
The six-month hurricane season, which peaks August through October, also requires planning by base officials, including when to call for an evacuation.
“One of the things we don’t want to do is have a mass evacuation if we can help it,” Phillips said. “If you have a mass evacuation, what you’ve really done is encumbered the road networks, so you make it difficult for really anyone to evacuate.”
Marine Corps installations near the Atlantic coastline alone include 80,000 people, he said. One of the struggles of dealing with locations such as Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., is that it takes at least an hour to get to major interstates during an evacuation.
With that in mind, Marines and their families need to think through their comfort level: Do you feel comfortable riding out a Category 3 storm with winds between 111 mph and 130 mph and storm surges ranging between nine and 12 feet?
“With Marines being deployed, the burden will often rest on a young wife and mother, and she really needs to think about where she feels safest,” Phillips said.
Once a storm has passed, Marines could be called on to help civilian communities in post-storm recuperation efforts. Some governors, including North Carolina’s, have warned that with National Guard equipment depleted because of the war in Iraq, they’re not equipped to handle recovery efforts should a major storm strike.
“I think you could expect that, particularly since we’re so close,” Phillips said.
Check your base’s Web site for further hurricane information. Marine Forces Reserve also has information on its Web site.
What you need to be ready if a hurricane hits
www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/06/marine_hurricane_checklist_070601/
Ellie