Earlier this month Florida’s annual Severe Weather Awareness Week was recognized with a keen focus on five areas of danger:
- Lightning hazards
- Marine hazards and rip currents
- Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes
- Hurricanes and flooding
- Temperature extremes and wildfires
News4Jax (Jacksonville, FL) covered these severe weather topics and noted that the most feared weather event identified by families and business owners is the tropical cyclone, … aka hurricanes.
Florida’s eccentric natural beauty, favorable climate, and welcoming business, tourist, and family environments have catapulted it to the 3rd largest state in the nation (recently surpassing New York and joining California and Texas in the top three). Second, only to Alaska, Florida boasts nearly 8,500 miles of coastline surrounded by mostly warm, tepid bodies of water – the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.
The state’s unique location and relatively flat terrain create a vulnerability to tropical storms, hurricanes, storm surge, and flooding. Historians indicate approximately 117 hurricanes and about 60 tropical storms have impacted the state since 1888, with many more cited prior to the time when official records were kept. In just the last 20 years (2000 to 2020) tropical cyclones in Florida have resulted in more than $123 billion in damage and caused hundreds of deaths. Until Hurricane Katrina’s direct hit on New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou in 2005, Florida’s infamous Hurricane Andrew of 1992 was the most costly hurricane on record at $26 billion. (Florida’s most deadly and destructive hurricanes | Reuters)
Also, from News4Jax:
- Florida has more hurricane landfalls per year on average than any other state.
- 40% of all hurricanes that strike the US make landfall in Florida.
- In the last 150 years, all 67 of Florida’s counties have been impacted by at least one hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center has already released their 2021 predictions for named storms, and the unlucky number is 33! Notable experts project we are facing one of the most active named storm seasons on record.
Be cautious but not afraid… there is good news!
Unlike the unknowns of a pandemic, you can absolutely prepare in advance for the 2021 Hurricane season (June 1 to November 30). Whether you are new to Florida or if you are a ‘weathered’ Floridian, NOW is the time to get started protecting (or upgrading) your home hurricane preparedness.
Brevard Shutters & Accessories, Inc., serving families and businesses throughout Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie Counties, is your premier partner in protecting what is most important to you: your family, home, and business. Due to Covid-19, you are probably spending more time at home – your safe place. As your home protects you from external elements and your business ensures your livelihood, you need to protect both.
You can always take the DIY approach of applying and removing plywood on vulnerable windows and doors up to 10, 20, or 30 times during the six-month season. Or, you could be one and done’ with permanent hurricane shutters designed, fabricated, and installed by our experts.
At Brevard Shutters & Accessories, Inc., we offer modern, dependable, and cost-effective hurricane protection. Your protection options are robust and cutting edge from Steel Panels to our Roll-Up Shutter Systems. Combined with our installation and manufacturing policies, such as stainless steel fasteners, sealing our products to prevent water penetration and Teflon in our fabrication, you can count on us to provide you with a shutter system that will last for decades. Whether you are looking for hurricane fabric, hurricane shutters, or hurricane protection, Brevard Shutters has you covered.
Additionally, during hurricane season we highly recommend you remain “in the know” with state-provided communication resources:
- Know the difference between a watch and a warning:
- Watches are issued 48 hours in advance of the time dangerous winds or surges are possible within the specified area.
- Warnings are issued 36 hours prior to the time when damaging winds or storm surge are expected.
- Hurricane-force winds (74+ miles per hour) can easily destroy unprepared and unprotected homes and buildings; tropical storms (under 74 miles per hour) have also been proven to generate significant wind damage and devastating repair costs.
- Know whether you live in an evacuation zone:
- This information can be obtained from your local emergency management office or at the Know Your Zone map.
- Have a disaster supply kit ready with non-perishable food, batteries for electronic devices such as your NOAA Weather Radio, and enough supplies to last three to five days.
- Assess your property to ensure that landscaping and tresses do not become a wind hazard. Hurricane shutters are the best line of defense here!
- Be a storm tracker and remain informed and prepared with the following links:
It is important to begin planning and preparing early. As we have said before, and history proves it, “being lucky” is not a hurricane preparedness, protection, or recovery plan.
Currently, we are assisting clients from Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie County. Our business is your protection. Contact us today at 321.409.9091 or email us at info@brevardshutter.com, frontdesk@brevardshutter.com or visit www.brevardshutter.com.
Source: Hurricanes and flooding: Our biggest fears in the fall (news4jax.com)
