(WTRF) – Spring has sprung and summer isn’t too far away, but that means hurricane season isn’t far either.
You may remember last year’s hurricane season was record breaking with 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the continental U.S.
National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said this year could also be busy, but the main priority is to be prepared.
90% of fatalities from hurricanes are related to water the hurricanes bring with them.
The greatest cause of fatalities is storm surge, which we do not have to worry about here in the Ohio Valley, but the second greatest cause is inland flooding from rainfall.
The rainfall rates in places, West Virginia, where you have terrain and heavy rain, it’s a bad combination. Everybody has to realize, even though you’re not right there on the coast, you could still see those incredible impacts, those intense impacts, life-threatening impacts, from these tropical systems. So even inland, you got to be ready and prepared.
Ken Graham, Director, National Hurricane Center
He said what some of us unfortunately know too well, that areas near rivers flood much more easily.
An easy tip to stay safe is to avoid driving through flood waters, or to make it a bit easier to remember, he said to “turn around, don’t drown.”
