Living On The Coast: Hurricane Season

Living on the coastal areas has its risks and benefits. We can wake up every day hearing the soothing sound of the ocean. We can swim and surf on the waves and have relaxing walks by the beach. However, the risks can also be deadly for these ocean lover’s. Natural calamities such as hurricanes and tropical storms can wreak havoc to their very lives.

When talking about hurricanes, the first thing that comes to mind is the 2005 Hurricane Katrina that caused massive devastation among the residents along the Gulf Coast. This disaster acted as a wake-up call for everyone regarding their preparedness when faced with the life-threatening forces of a hurricane.

The Gulf Coast includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. These states have a thriving economy which consists mainly of fishing, shrimping, agriculture, tourism, and petrochemical industries. And so, we can see that hurricanes and tropical storms even with a weak intensity can vastly upset the economy along the Gulf Coast.

With an average of 11 tropical storms and 6 hurricanes occurring every hurricane season from June to November in the Atlantic, all we can ever do to protect ourselves and our interest is to be thoroughly prepared.

Being prepared requires us to learn everything we can about hurricanes. Knowing about the calamities the hurricane season can bring like storm surge, wind damage, and freshwater flooding will make us aware of the possible destruction our homes and business can possibly suffer. Thus, we can be able to minimize its harmful effects to us.

It’s not really necessary to avoid living along the coastal area, just knowing certain preventive measures like buying the necessary emergency kits, acquiring hurricane insurance, making our homes hurricane prone, and reading safety tips can greatly help during the dreaded hurricane season.