Hurricane Lessons Learned

The 2017 hurricane season brought larger and more frequent storms that caused significantly more damage than anyone thought possible. It also brought some hurricane lessons.

The latter days of summer still bring warm temperatures and typically good weather to enjoy being near, on or in the water. But they can also bring great storms in the form of hurricanes. In fact, although the official hurricane season is from June 1st to November 30th, the peak of the season is from mid-August to mid-September, when ocean temperatures are at their highest—fuel for hurricane development. What can we learn from the hurricane lessons of 2017?

What’s in a name?

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, i.e., a low-pressure area that only forms over warm water. It contains bands of showers and thunderstorms that rotate counterclockwise around a center (the eye) and extend outward for as much as several hundred miles.

Actually, the term “hurricane” indicates the strength of the storm. Hurricanes have sustained winds greater than 73 mph. Systems with winds between 39 and 73 mph are classified as tropical storms, and those with winds less than 39 mph are called tropical depressions. Hurricanes themselves are also ranked in terms of strength according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale—categories of one at the low end to five at the high end with sustained winds exceeding 156 mph. (Gusts can approach 200 mph.)

The greatest threat to ships at sea comes from the strong winds and the high waves they can generate. Stronger and larger storms will produce the highest waves. In fact, measured waves have exceeded 50 feet and, theoretically, a rogue wave in that environment could exceed 100 feet. In those conditions, a boat can easily capsize and sink, and keep in mind that rescue efforts are nearly impossible.

Skip the beach

For beachgoers, even if the storm is far off, swells can make for dangerous surf conditions. As the storm nears, waves become higher and more frequent, and strong rip currents can be expected. Along the coast, the greatest threat comes from the strong winds and, especially, storm-induced high tides. “Storm surge” is an inland rush of water caused by strong onshore winds. High waves on top of this surge can literally smash structures. Storm surge is highest with stronger and larger storms and maximum where the center crosses the coast. Hurricane Katrina produced a storm surge of nearly 28 feet at Pass Christian on the Mississippi Gulf coast, and the surge pushed inland at least six miles.

Even boats at a dock face risks. The risk magnifies with the strength of the storm and the proximity of the eye. Strong winds and high waves can batter a boat against the dock itself, and restraining ropes can break under great stress. A significant storm surge can drive a vessel far inland and as the storm moves by, the wind direction will change by as much as 180 degrees. A more sheltered, inland port is a better alternative.

As you move away from the immediate coast, wind can still do damage. In particular, trees are broken or uprooted, which can take out power lines. That was the case in Puerto Rico with Hurricane Maria. In addition, there is also a significant concern with the heavy rain that can produce inland flooding. Hurricane Harvey, for example, dumped over 60 inches of rain in the Houston, Texas, area last September causing the catastrophic flooding there. If this wasn’t enough, tropical cyclones, when they start affecting land, can generate tornadoes and are most likely to occur in the right front quadrant of the storm. Hurricane Harvey produced 57 tornadoes.

Be in the Know

There is only one official source of hurricane information: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida. Media outlets and even private weather companies get their information from the NHC. The Center will send out storm bulletins every six hours or every three hours if the storm is endangering land. The Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory gives a plain language account of the storm, including current strength and location and forecasts for future strength and movement out to five days. This information is also provided in map form. The Forecast Advisory adds marine information for areas predicted to be in the path of 64-, 50-, and 34-knot winds and 12-foot seas.

The NHC will issue specific watches or warnings as needed. Watches mean dangerous conditions are possible within 48 hours and to take necessary precautions. Warnings mean a more definite and immediate threat (within 36 hours); seek shelter or evacuate if ordered. Besides tropical storm or hurricane watches and warnings, a storm surge watch or warning is for “life-threatening inundation from rising water,” and an extreme wind warning is for winds in excess of 114 mph. All of this information is also provided by local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. For marine interests, consult the marine forecasts issued by the NWS.

Flagged as Dangerous

There is a more traditional warning system used at select small boat stations along the coast: the U.S. Coast Guard’s warning display flags. Tropical storm warnings are indicated by a single red flag with a black rectangle in the middle. Hurricane warnings are represented by two of those flags. For more information on Marine Safety during hurricane season, go to nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/marine.php

By Ed Brotak Southern Boating August 2018

Hurricane Irma Update

A Hurricane Irma Update

While The Bahamas didn’t experience a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, due to the expansive size of the storm—approximately 420 miles give or take the outer reaches of the spiraling winds—most of the islands encountered winds that caused a variety of degrees of damage.

According to reports published in the Bahamas Weekly, as of press time the “…restoration of essential services for those Bahamian islands most impacted by Hurricane Irma is moving full speed ahead….”

According to the report, Bahamas Power and Light states that repairs have been completed to the following islands: Acklins, Mayaguana, Crooked, Andros, and Bimini. While broadband services have generally been restored, some intermittent interruptions to service can be expected. Mobile services have been restored and can expect to be fully operational by the time this is published.

It was also reported that government agencies are in the process of cleaning up Ragged Island, where the rotting carcasses of dead animals could pose as a health hazard to residents and visitors. Prime Minister Minnis purportedly assured residents of his intentions that Ragged Island would be transformed into a model for sustainable community by rebuilding it into the first “fully green island in the region.”

Furthermore, Bahamian fishermen and fishing communities that were negatively impacted by Hurricane Irma will receive government assistance intended to allow for the purchase of both equipment and materials destroyed by the storm.

—Southern Boating will keep readers apprised of the efforts underway. We will provide regular check-ins and Hurricane Irma Updates.

By Rex Noel, Southern Boating November 2017

The Cajun Navy

The Cajun Navy has entered popular vernacular, but what do we know about the group?

The famed Cajun Navy came to be when a Former Louisiana state senator Nick Gautreaux pleaded for someone, anyone to assist after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Between 350 and 400 people and their boats answered the call. The makeshift flotilla rescued more than 10,000 people from flooded homes and rooftops.

The group quietly returned to back bayou watering holes knowing the next big one is just a reality of Gulf Coast living. In August 2016, Louisiana was hammered again by a no-name storm and historic flooding. The Cajun Navy fired up airboats, Jon boats, and rafts, re-emerging to save neighbors.

Hurricane Harvey

A year later, they mobilized again for the citizens of Houston, Texas.

The difference this time was social media and smartphone apps that mobilized this unofficial group. With countless cars flooded, these sportsmen took direction from first responders and helped gather donated food, water, and supplies, delivering to remote, hard-to-reach areas.

Social media—in particular, the Zello app—brought them together 24 hours after Hurricane Harvey came ashore. Mobilizing in a Costco parking lot in Baton Rouge, they employed another app, Glympse, to track the hundreds of boats, RVs and big trucks that took donated supplies into Texas and various staging sites.

Jon Bridgers Sr. is the founder of the modern-day Cajun Navy. “Everyone trained in the year since our big flood; this year, we were tested,” he said. No one is paid; they are all volunteers, using their own money, their own gas, and their own food to help first responders who were quite simply unable to be everywhere in a disaster of this magnitude.

Hurricane Florence

And as Hurricane Florence trudged her way through the Carolina’s, dumping unprecedented amounts of rain, the Cajun Navy sprang into action again. The group says they helped rescue more than 150 people. Terrified parents, sleepy toddlers, and scores of elderly were trapped in attics as the water moved higher.

“It’s not that local firefighters and police can’t get it done. But the extra help means a lot,” said Blair Burgess, a South Carolina resident told the Washington Post. “You can never have too many hands. You never want to be wishing you had 15 more boats to save 15 more lives.”

As the folks at FEMA are fond of saying, it’s not a question of if Florida and surrounding states being hit by a Category 5 storm. It’s a question of when. Hurricane Irma was the wake-up call, Florence was yet another reminder We like the notion of helping neighbors, whether they are a block away, a city away or as the Louisiana Cajun Navy demonstrated, a state away.

Social media and mass communication applications are changing emergency responses. Learn more about Zello and how it connects users.

Story by Alan Wendt, Southern Boating, November 2017
Note: Updated in the wake of Hurricane Florence (October 2018)