000 NOUS41 KBOX 011435 CCB PNSBOX CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-030000- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED EXPIRATION TIME NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 1007 AM EDT FRI JUN 1 2012 ...TODAY MARKS THE START OF THE 2012 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON... THE START OF THIS HURRICANE SEASON IS A REMINDER FOR ALL TO PREPARE. TO HELP PREPARE FOR THE RISK FROM THESE INFREQUENT BUT HIGH IMPACT STORMS...IT IS HELPFUL TO LOOK AT OUR HURRICANE HISTORY. A SPECIAL EVENT WILL DO JUST THAT TODAY. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL PARTICIPATE IN AN UNVEILING OF A HIGH WATER MARK SIGN FOR THE 1938 HURRICANE IN BOURNE MA. THE UNVEILING CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE TODAY AT 11 AM AT THE BOURNE FIRE STATION...130 MAIN STREET. ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT...WHICH WILL RAISE AWARENESS OF THE STORM SURGE RISK TO THE UPPER BUZZARDS BAY REGION. THE ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON RUNS FROM JUNE 1ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 30TH. IN AN AVERAGE SEASON...BASED ON DATA FROM 1981 TO 2010... 12 NAMED TROPICAL CYCLONES SHOULD BE EXPECTED WITH 6 OF THESE REACHING HURRICANE INTENSITY...AND 3 OF THESE HURRICANES BECOMING MAJOR HURRICANES. THE OFFICIAL NOAA 2012 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON OUTLOOK INDICATES A 50 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF A NEAR NORMAL SEASON...A 25 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF AN ABOVE NORMAL SEASON AND A 25 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF A BELOW NORMAL SEASON. THIS OUTLOOK CALLS FOR A 70 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF 9-15 NAMED STORMS...WITH 4-8 LIKELY TO REACH HURRICANE INTENSITY...AND 1-3 OF THESE TO BECOME MAJOR HURRICANES /CATEGORY 3 OR HIGHER/. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE NOAA 2012 HURRICANE OUTLOOK PLEASE VISIT: HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/OUTLOOKS/HURRICANE.SHTML /IN LOWERCASE/ THE NAMES USED FOR THE 2012 SEASON WILL BE... NAME PRONUNCIATION NAME PRONUNCIATION ------------------------------------------------------------ ALBERTO AL-BAIR-TOE LESLIE LEHZ-LEE BERYL BER-RIL MICHAEL MY-KUHL CHRIS KRIS NADINE NAY-DEEN DEBBY DEH-BEE OSCAR AHS-KUR ERNESTO ER-NES-TOE PATTY PAT-EE FLORENCE FLOOR-ENTS RAFAEL RAH-FAY-ELL GORDON GOR-DUHN SANDY SAN-DEE HELENE HEH-LEEN TONY TOH-NEE ISAAC EYE-ZIK VALERIE VAH-LUR-EE JOYCE JOYSS WILLIAM WILL-YUM KIRK KURK TROPICAL CYCLONES ARE CERTAINLY NO STRANGERS TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. SINCE 1900 A TOTAL OF 53 TROPICAL SYSTEMS HAVE IMPACTED SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. SOME BROUGHT JUST LIGHT AMOUNTS OF RAIN AND WIND...WHILE OTHERS HAVE BROUGHT TORRENTIAL RAINS AND FLASH FLOODING...DEVASTATING STORM SURGES AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS. THE MOST RECENT WAS TROPICAL STORM IRENE IN 2011. IRENE BROUGHT DAMAGING WINDS TO PORTIONS OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND AND DEVASTATING RAINFALL AND FLOODING TO PORTIONS OF CONNECTICUT... WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE INTO SOUTHERN VERMONT. ALL TOLD...IRENE CAUSED NEARLY 16 BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE AS WELL AS 49 DIRECT DEATHS...41 OR WHICH OCCURRED IN THE UNITED STATES. MOST OF THESE DEATHS RESULTED FROM RAINFALL-INDUCED FLOODS. TROPICAL CYCLONES ARE NOT JUST A RISK FOR THOSE LIVING CLOSE TO THE COAST. BASED ON THE IMPACT FROM HURRICANE IRENE...THIS NAME WAS RETIRED FROM THE ACTIVE LIST OF HURRICANE NAMES. FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...THIS SEASON MARKS THE 58TH ANNIVERSARY OF ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE SEASONS IN OUR HISTORY...THE SUMMER OF 1954. THE 1954 SEASON BROUGHT NEW ENGLAND MAJOR HURRICANES CAROL AND EDNA. THESE POWERFUL CATEGORY 3 HURRICANES STRUCK JUST 11 DAYS APART...WITH CAROL ARRIVING ON AUGUST 31ST... FOLLOWED BY EDNA ON SEPTEMBER 11TH. THESE TWO STORMS COMBINED TO PRODUCE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO HOMES...BUSINESSES AND THE BOATING INDUSTRY...AS WELL AS CLAIMING DOZENS OF LIVES DUE TO STORM SURGE AND RIVER-RELATED FLOODING. CAROL AND EDNA WERE THE LAST MAJOR HURRICANES TO HAVE STRUCK OUR REGION. AS THE 2012 SEASON BEGINS...NOW IS AN EXCELLENT TIME TO BEGIN YOUR OWN PREPARATIONS. YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THESE HELPFUL MEASURES. TAKING A FEW MOMENTS NOW WILL SAVE MUCH NEEDED TIME SHOULD A TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE TAKE AIM AT SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND LATER THIS SEASON. COASTAL RESIDENTS - NEVER PLAN YOUR ACTIONS ON THE ANTICIPATED TIME OF LANDFALL. TYPICALLY IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...HEAVY RAINS AND WINDS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE WILL MAKE ANY TRAVEL OR OUTDOOR PREPARATION WORK DANGEROUS AS MUCH AS 15 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE EYE OF THE STORM. - REMEMBER THAT MOST TROPICAL SYSTEMS APPROACHING OUR REGION WILL ACCELERATE DRAMATICALLY. THIS WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE TIME YOU HAVE TO PREPARE. BUILD EXTRA TIME INTO YOUR PLAN OF ACTION. - NEVER STEP OUTSIDE DURING THE PASSAGE OF THE EYE. THE OFTEN CALM CONDITIONS WILL BE RAPIDLY REPLACED BY A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN WIND DIRECTION AND A RETURN TO STRONGER WINDS. - KNOW YOUR EVACUATION ROUTES AND THE PROPER SHELTERS FOR YOUR AREA. CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL TOWN HALL TO SEE IF YOU ARE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE. - MOST SHELTERS WILL NOT ALLOW PETS. MAKE ARRANGEMENTS AHEAD OF TIME FOR A PLACE FOR YOUR PETS TO STAY. SOME ANIMAL HOSPITALS OFFER TO KEEP PETS UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO RETURN HOME. - KNOW WHERE YOUR GAS AND WATER SHUTOFFS ARE. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU TURN OFF BOTH YOUR GAS AND WATER BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME. - IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO HEAD TO A SHELTER...MAKE ARRANGEMENTS NOW WITH RELATIVES OR FRIENDS IF YOU WISH TO STAY WITH THEM SHOULD YOU NEED TO EVACUATE. THE MARINE COMMUNITY - INSPECT YOUR LINES AT THE START OF THE SEASON. IF YOU ARE ANCHORED IN A MOORING FIELD...INSPECT THE CHAIN BETWEEN YOUR PENNANT AND THE MOORING. SALT WATER BEGINS TO CORRODE THESE CHAINS AFTER JUST 2 SEASONS IN THE WATER. BUT THIS IS OFTEN UNSEEN BY THE BOAT OWNER. - BOAT OWNERS SHOULD HAVE ALL THE NECESSARY GEAR ON BOARD TO PROPERLY TIE DOWN THEIR VESSEL. YOU WILL LOSE PRECIOUS TIME IF YOU HAVE TO RUSH AROUND SEARCHING FOR GEAR WHEN A STORM IS APPROACHING. - REALIZE THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PULL YOUR BOAT OUT OF THE WATER BEFORE A STORM THREATENS. YOUR ONLY ALTERNATIVE WILL BE TO TIE THE VESSEL DOWN. - HAVE A PLAN WORKED OUT WITH THE MARINA OPERATOR SO THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS OR ANY CONFUSION WHEN THE TIME COMES TO TIE UP OR PULL THE BOAT OUT OF THE WATER. - BE SURE TO TAKE PICTURES AND MAKE A WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THE VESSEL...SO THAT THIS MAY BE USED AFTER THE STORM PASSES FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. - ENSURE THAT YOUR VESSEL IS AS WATERTIGHT AS POSSIBLE. - WHEN YOU ARE THROUGH...HELP YOUR NEIGHBOR. IT ONLY TAKES ONE POORLY TIED BOAT IN A MARINA TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE DOCK. INLAND RESIDENTS - BE SURE TO HAVE PLENTY OF BATTERIES ON HAND FOR FLASHLIGHTS... AM/FM RADIOS...AND YOUR NOAA ALL-HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT...POWER WILL BE DISRUPTED DURING THE STORM AND MAY BE DISRUPTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. - BE SURE TO HAVE CANNED FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS ON HAND THAT DO NOT NEED REFRIGERATION. AS STATED ABOVE...IT IS ALMOST A CERTAINTY THAT ELECTRICAL AND TELEPHONE SYSTEMS WILL BE DISRUPTED IF A HURRICANE STRIKES OUR REGION. - IF YOU OWN A PORTABLE GENERATOR...BE SURE IT IS PROPERLY HOOKED INTO THE POWER SUPPLY. IF IT IS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED...IT MAY DO DAMAGE TO THE MAIN POWER SUPPLY OR WORKERS TRYING TO RESTORE POWER TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. - STORE PLYWOOD AND PLENTY OF NAILS SO THAT YOU CAN QUICKLY BOARD UP WINDOWS ON OPEN-FACING SIDES OF YOUR HOME. DO NOT TAPE WINDOWS...IT WILL NOT HELP. - THOSE LIVING ALONG FLOOD-PRONE RIVERS AND STREAMS SHOULD BE READY TO HEAD TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD FLOODING OCCUR. - IN CASE OF THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT YOU MUST EVACUATE...KNOW WHERE YOUR NEAREST STORM SHELTER IS LOCATED...AND THE QUICKEST ROUTE TO IT. FOLLOWING THESE SIMPLE STEPS WILL HELP MAKE WHAT CAN BE A VERY STRESSFUL AND DIFFICULT TIME GO A BIT MORE SMOOTHLY. $$ BELK/NWS TAUNTON