As we have already seen these past couple of weeks, the 2017 Hurricane Season has now entered the record books with Hurricane "Harvey" becoming the costliest natural disaster in the United States.  Category 4 "Harvey" has been more costly then "Katrina" and "Sandy" combined.  Wow!!!  It has been some time, actually since 2005, that a major landfalling hurricane has hit the U.S.  We are now entering the peak of the hurricane season which is around September 10th and, sure enough, we have category 3 hurricane "Irma" progressing across the Atlantic Ocean and forecast to strengthen.

Time and time again, we see the same kind of coastal destruction due to storm surge which, by the way, is the #1 killer in a hurricane.  But yet we continue to build along the coastal areas of the U.S.  We continue hear about people losing their lives because of ignorance or just not making wise decisions.  If you are told to evacuate because you are in a flood zone, the DO SO!  If you are not in a flood zone but are not sure if your homestead will protect you in a tropical system -- LEAVE ANYWAY!!

How many times do we need to hear that people have loss their lives due to driving on flooded roads and thinking that they can turn their cars into boats with the push of a button?  TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN!  Human beings are "egotistical" by nature (no pun intended) and think that nature is less powerful then them or that it can't happen to me.  WRONG!  How many times do we need to experience a KATRINA or HARVEY before we heed the warnings?  If you live anywhere from Maine to Texas -- you need to be prepared BY JUNE 1ST with a disaster kit, a disaster plan and you need to know if you are in a flood zone.  Would you need to evacuate?  Where are the nearest shelters?  You also need to stay tuned to the tropical weather forecasts from June 1st to November 30th each year.

A tropical storm / hurricane is one of nature's most powerful and destructive forces and one which you MUST take seriously!  HARVEY will now join the retired names along with KATRINA, SANDY and IRENE.  Let's hope IRMA does not join that list.  PREPARE FOR THE WORST AND HOPE FOR THE BEST!  The greatest cost of life in a hurricane is due to:

1)  Storm surge

2)  Inland flooding from torrential rains (as we have just seen with Harvey)

3)  Wind

4)  Hurricane-spawned "tornadoes"

Do some research and learn more about these forces of nature, how to prepare for them and how to stay tuned in to the best sources of tropical weather information and not just hype.