Florida's hurricane season is here so start preparing for storms now

Editorials from The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board are the opinions of the Board, not of the Post newsroom.

The Atlantic hurricane season has begun. With the hype that usually comes with the June 1 start of storm season, from preparing your home for strong wind and severe rain to stocking up on supplies and having an escape plan, it's easy to simply turn off and tune out. Don't.

"I want to tell everyone to be ready for the next hurricane today," Palm Beach County Director of Emergency Management Mary Blakeney told Post reporter Kimberly Mitchell. It's a warning that shouldn't be brushed off, as anyone who lived through Hurricanes Andrew, Irma, Michael, Nicole, Wilma and many others that took their toll know full well.

Yes, now is the time to get ready for the five-month storm season. Though hurricane season typically peaks from mid-September through October, "typically" is the operative word here. Last week, on the second day of the storm season, Tropical Storm Arlene formed over the Gulf of Mexico, generating heavy rain that washed over South Florida. The worst of it stayed offshore but its formation should be warning enough of what the season might bring.

Besides preparation, paying attention to forecasts is essential, since storms can change in intensity and direction, leaving the unprepared exposed to danger and damage. The early forecast for Hurricane Andrew had it headed toward Fort Lauderdale before it turned west and struck Homestead. A similar "wobble" shifted Hurricane Ian last year east towards Fort Myers and Naples, after predictions had it hitting Tampa.

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Forecasters predict between 12 and 17 named storms and 5 to 9 hurricanes this year. While every dust storm off the coast of Africa won't produce a hurricane, there's still an 87% chance that our state will be impacted by a named storm, according to Colorado State University Tropical Weather & Climate Research. With odds like that, everyone, from newcomers to our state to jaded longtime residents should take the storm season seriously.

No time like the present to see if storm shutters and generators are ready to use, if insurance policies are up to date and materials needed to make claims for storm or flood damage are available and protected. The same can be said for making sure that your home is stocked with ample, food, ice and water and that there's a well-known escape and shelter plan, if it becomes necessary to evacuate your home or community.

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The 2022 season raised awareness about flood insurance, as many homeowners who endured flooding from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole learned that their windstorm insurance didn't cover water damage. It's not too late to consider flood insurance, given that severe rain on saturated land can cause water damage far from coastal areas.

Unfortunately, too many Floridians still shrug all this off, despite or maybe because of, the many storm preparation pronouncements and warnings in the air. Faith in weather forecasts is hard enough to maintain without any wrong predictions that come our way, let alone the public trusting early forecasts without heeding updates.

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A recently released AAA Auto Club Group hurricane survey found that one in five respondents won't plan ahead for hurricanes and other severe storms. One of four said they would ignore evacuation orders. Of those who'd consider evacuation, more than half said they wouldn't leave unless the storm was a Category 3, with winds between 111 and 129 mph, or stronger. Although the survey found that 91 percent of respondents had homeowner insurance, only a third had flood insurance.

Florida remains a storm magnet, and while the science behind storm forecasting continues to improve, the tendency remains to put off preparation until later in the season, when tropical cyclone tracks start coming a little too close for comfort. That's when batteries, canned goods, ice, plywood, water and other necessities start flying off store shelves, and gasoline stations become filled panicky motorists hoping to stock up on fuel, just in case the worst occurs.

Believe the preparation hype. Take stock of your storm needs sooner rather than later.