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A Hurricane Is Coming!
How Will It Affect Your Vacation?
By Sharon Waldrop
Just when you thought your vacation plans were intact and everything was running smoothly, an uninvited visitor pops into the family picture. This visitor isn't a long-lost friend or family member. It's a hurricane -- and it's coming your way.
Travelers who reside in hurricane-free areas probably have little or no knowledge about this aspect of nature's fury. When is hurricane season? What is the difference between a watch and a warning? Where are the regions that are prone to be hit? How can a family safely evacuate a dangerous situation?
A little education can go a long way in keeping you and your family safe if one of the "greatest storms on Earth" takes an unexpected turn in your direction.
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone. It consists of heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds of at least 74 m.p.h. The storm consists of tightly coiled bands of thunderstorm and rain clouds, which spiral around a low-pressure center, or "eye" of the storm. The area of the storm surrounding the eye is called the "eye wall," and is the strongest part of the storm.
A hurricane is an intense storm that can be deadly and destructive. According to The Complete Weather Resource, Volume 2, just 1 percent of the energy in an average hurricane could supply the entire United States with power for one year!
The strength of a hurricane is rated in categories within a 1 to 5 range, with 5 being the most intense. This rating system is called The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Damage Potential Scale. Robert Simpson is a former director of the National Hurricane Center. Herbert Saffir is an engineer who designed Miami's hurricane-proof building code.
Want to see more?
- Hurricane Tips: American Red Cross Urges You to Take Lifesaving Steps to Prepare Now
- American Family Safety Offers Hurricane Preparedness Advice: Preparing Before a Storm Hits Is Key to Protecting Your Family in an Emergency
- Keeping Cool: Babies at the Beach
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