Hurricane - A Familiarization Booklet

At a glance..

This booklet is a compilation of material on hurricanes gathered from several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/ National Weather Service publications in response to a myriad of requests received at the National Hurricane Center for hurricane information. Statistics and definitions have been updated and obsolete references have been deleted from the original works.

The details..

"HURRICANE!" is a compilation of material on hurricanes gathered from several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publications. It highlights Hurricane Andrew's destruction as the most intense storm to hit Florida with sustained winds reaching up to 145 mph.

The book explains that historically powerful storms like these have caused great loss of life due to storm surges. However, thanks to hurricane awareness campaigns, preparedness planning, and actions by joint efforts from federal, state, county and city emergency forces along with timely warnings issued by news media outlets before during after landfall has saved many lives compared to previous disasters such as Camille or Labor Day Hurricane which took hundreds if not thousands more.

Hurricanes are unique weather phenomena that combine lethal wind velocity around its core with inundating surge causing widespread damage when it makes landfall. The book also mentions how evacuation from threatened coastal areas is crucial for survival against potential death tolls caused by the storm's wrath.

While this booklet focuses primarily on Hurricane Andrew's impact on South Florida in August 1992; it serves as a reminder that we must always be vigilant about preparing ourselves for natural disasters regardless where we live since they can strike at any time without warning.