HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS GUIDE 2024 THE OFFICIAL GALVESTON COUNTYHurricane Prep List Better call the shutter Pros!!! Gas Food Windows & Doors www.jsashutters.com • 409-316-9922 Servicing Galveston County for over 20 years..... Free estimates on: Hurricane Screens Roll-up Shutters New Windows Accordion Shutters Bahama/Colonial Aramco Outside Blindsbject to terms, conditions and availability. Savings vary 18 Allstate Insurance Co. There’s nothing natural about a disaster. 18749166 © 2019 Allstate Insurance Co. O'DONOHOE AGENCY, THE 409-356-0065 As your local Allstate Agent, I understand how a disaster can turn your world upside down. I am here to help you through the recovery process and get your life back to normal as quickly as possible. Contact me today to learn more.6 Preparedness is key to weathering hurricane season, officials say 8 Rapid intensification presents challenges to forecasters, emergency managers and residents 13 It’s time to restock, get ready for hurricane season 15 Lessons learned help build county’s preparedness 16 Prepping pets for hurricanes 19 Hurricane evacuation ZIP zones 20 Gulf of Mexico map 22 Hurricane 411 25 Stay connected with The Daily News 26 Keep fresh water on hand with plastic bathtub bladders 27 Keep a first-aid kit at home and in your vehicle 28 Hurricane intensity 31 Anatomy of a hurricane 32 Debris-strewn roads? No problem! 35 Stay safe and sanitary when systems are out 36 How to deal with mold contamination 37 Deadliest and costliest storms contents Keith Corder drives his boat with Dickinson residents affected by the flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017. The Daily News file photo 4 | The Daily News | Hurricane Preparedness | 2024DON’T WAIT FOR A DISASTER. MAKE A PLAN. PREPARE. We play a critical role not only in disaster response, but also in preparedness by providing valuable business recovery. We serve on a local, state and national level to better serve our members in time of disaster. Gina M. Spagnola, IOM President and CEO, Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce • Governor Abbott Appointee, Business Advisory Council to the Texas Division of Emergency Management • Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Disaster Recovery Subject Matter Expert • U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Business Recovery Corps Member • Acknowledged by the State of Texas and United States Emergency Response Teams PROTECT. We continuously monitor legislation and we advocate for the local business community on important issues such as flood protection. PRESERVE. We help businesses recover and provide resources such as banking, filing insurance claims, replacing office equipment and supplies, and finding temporary digs. GALVESTONCHAMBER.COM (409) 763-5326 GALVESTON REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • Community Counsel and Mentor for Natural Disasters in Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Canada • One of 10 individuals invited to serve on the Delegation US-Japan Grassroots Disaster Exchange ProgramPreparedness is key to weathering hurricane season, experts say The Daily News/File photo Debris covers state Highway 146 at the Galveston County and Harris County line in Seabrook on Sept. 13, 2008, after Hurricane Ike made landfall as a Category 2 storm. By B. SCOTT McLENDON The Daily News W ith the June 1 start of hurri- cane season, county officials are urging residents to stay alert and prepared for the worst. The Galveston County Office of Emer- gency Management urges residents to make a disaster plan to respond to a vari- ety of emergencies, build a kit containing essential items and tools that are useful during an emergency and to stay informed by connecting to local, official sources. “Hurricanes present a variety of threats and should be taken seriously,” County Judge Mark Henry said. “Storm surge can cause extensive flooding and damage. High winds produced by a hur- ricane can be powerful enough to blow a house away. Inland flooding from fresh water rain poses a serious threat, not just along the coast.” The county’s website GCOEM.org contains resources that can help resi- dents develop an effective plan, build a suitable disaster kit and keep them informed before, during and after a disaster, Henry said. “Pay attention to what the weather is doing, and look for any warnings and notices, and be aware of what’s going on,” he said. “We monitor the weather at the National Weather Service.” STAY INFORMED The most important aspect to stay- ing safe during a hurricane is to stay informed, county officials said. While it’s a bright sunny day, residents should get out a camera or smartphone and take photos of their dwelling and property, so that insurance providers have an idea of what it looked like before po- tential damage, officials said. Residents should prepare their homes for damage, have a go-bag for potential evacuation and have a supply kit ready in case they get trapped in their homes. Go-bags and home kits should include something to eat, about a gallon of water per day per person, flashlights, batteries and an external power source, a radio, road maps, cash and bank cards, weather-appro- priate clothes and shoes, pillows, blankets and sleeping bags, officials said. EVACUATION Galveston residents may register for the city’s One Call Reaches All emergen- cy notification system to receive updates before, during and after a potential hurricane hits the island, city officials said. Galveston residents may register for state-led evacuations by calling 409- 765-3710, visiting www.galvestontx. gov/196/Emergency-Notification-Sys- tem or scanning th QR code below. Residents also may dial 211 for assis- tance, officials said. The city fully funds transportation, food and lodging in Austin for evaluat- ed residents, officials said. Most Galveston evacuees head for the Hill Country or Dallas, and officials say the farther inland residents go the safer they’ll be. Scan the QR code to register for state-led evacuations from the city of Galveston. 6 | The Daily News | Hurricane Preparedness | 2024 “Hurricanes present a variety of threats and should be taken seriously.” COUNTY JUDGE MARK HENRYHURRICANES MAKE A BIG MESS. DIFFERENT INSURANCES HELP YOU CLEAN UP. Hurricane damage can trigger claims on different insurance policies. A wind policy doesn’t cover flood damage, and a flood policy doesn’t cover wind damage. Talk to your agent now to verify your property is fully covered. The mission of Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is to provide essential wind and hail property insurance to coastal Texans when no one else will. Report your claims immediately Be ready to pay your deductibles Stay involved in the claims process After a storm:8 | The Daily News | Hurricane Preparedness | 2024 T he 2024 hurricane season is expected to be an active one, if we are to believe the preseason forecast from the Tropical Meteorology Projects, which is predicting a record to near-record hurricane season with a projection of 23 named storms (com- pared with the 30-year average), including 11 hurricanes of which five will reach major hurricane status (Cate- gory 3 or higher). The initial reports call for a 42 percent chance of a major hurricane mak- ing landfall on the Gulf Coast this season. The projections are based in part upon a developing La Niña which is associated with lower wind- shear over the Tropical Atlantic Basin and the continuation of warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and the Tropical Atlantic. Complicating this outlook is the prob- ability of rapid intensification (defined as an increase in sustained winds of 35 mph or more in 24 hours) occurring in some of these storms. There was a 29 percent increase in such intensification between 2001 to 2020, according to Scientific Reports. The incidence of rapid intensifi- cation in the Atlantic Basin had increased by 36 percent over the period of 2001 to 2021 compared to 1980-2000, including a 21 percent increase in storms in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study by Bill Read, former director of the National Hurricane Center. Over the past seven seasons alone, we have seen eight hurricanes undergo rapid intensification in the Atlantic Basin and Gulf of Mexico: Hurricane Maria, in 2017, had an increase in sustained winds from Category 1 to a Category 5 with 165-mph winds in 18 hours; in 2023, Hurricane Lee intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 5 with 165- mph peak winds in less than 12 hours; Hurricane Ian, in 2022, had two rapid intensification cycles, first an increase from Category 1 to Category 3 in 24 hours and then another increase from Category 3 to Category 5 in 24 hours prior to landfall; in 2023, Hurricane Ida- lia intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in 36 hours; in 2017, Hurri- cane Harvey, with a 40-mph increase in sustained winds in less than 24 hours; Hurricane Michael, in 2018, intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 5 in 24 hours; and Hurricane Laura, in 2020, had an increase from an 80-mph hurricane to a Category 4 with 150-mph winds in 36 hours. Hurricane Otis, in 2023, is what really captured the attention of hurricane forecasters and experts. Otis, which devastated Acapulco last season, set a record for rapid intensification with sustained winds increasing from a 65-mph tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane with 165-mph sustained winds at landfall in 24 hours. This made it not Rapid intensification presents challenges to forecasters, emergency managers and residents Courtesy Hurricane Otis, nearing Acapulco, made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in October 2023. STAN BLAZYK2024 | Hurricane Preparedness | The Daily News | 9 STAN BLAZYK/COURTESY The aftermath of Hurricane Alicia in 1983 on Galveston’s West End. only the strongest storm ever to strike the Mexican Pacific coast, but also the fastest intensification ever observed in a hurricane. The Galveston area is no stranger to difficulties with rapid intensification. In 2007, Hurricane Humberto intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 2 in 12 hours, causing unexpected dam- age on Bolivar Peninsula, and Hurri- cane Alicia in 1983 intensified from a Category 1 to a minimal Category 3 in less than 24 hours before landfall. No evacuation order was issued for Galveston until 4 p.m. (or a little more than 9 hours before landfall). I remember it quite well. I was working with the storm team at the University of Texas Medical Branch and spent the night calling and receiving calls from residents as they huddled in bathrooms and laundry rooms as their roofs and windows gave way. We had a few residents make their way to the emergency room, seeking shelter shortly after phone service ceased. To put rapid intensification in per- spective, an increase of winds from 65 mph to 100 mph raises the wind pressure against a vertical wall by 142.8 percent, drastically increasing the possibility of structural damage or failure. A 2004 study by Gov. Rick Per- ry of a potential Category 4 hurricane striking the Houston-Galveston area projected more than 119,000 structures destroyed, including 48,681 in Harris County. It also estimated minimum evacuation time for the area of 33 hours. “The continued increase in popula- tion in evacuation zones without much increase in evacuation capability is a recipe for disaster, with or without rapid intensification,” Read said. This means that having hurricane preparedness and preparation may be more important than ever. It also would be a good idea for emergency management personnel at all levels of government to consider what the options might be for their areas if a storm is rapidly intensifying and there is not sufficient time to order and complete a successful evacua- tion. The last thing we need would be large numbers of people stranded in gridlock in the middle of a major hurricane. While we hope that none of these rapid intensification scenarios may oc- cur, they have become more frequent over the last few decades. Certainly, it Next >