NORFOLK, Va. — Hurricane season is on the horizon, and Hampton Roads is one of the most hurricane-vulnerable areas in the country. So, it’s important that the community proactively prepares for the upcoming season.
On Wednesday at Norfolk International Airport, weather, hurricane, and emergency management experts spoke about the importance of hurricane preparedness.
Here are a few hurricane preparedness tips:
- Know your evacuation zone. Zone A is the most vulnerable zone. If you don't know which zone you live in, head to KnowYourZoneVa.org.
- Have a hurricane kit. This kit should include water, non-perishable food items, flashlights with batteries, important documents, medication, etc.
- Know where you’ll stay after a storm hits.
Jeff Orrock is the Meteorologist-In-Charge at the National Weather Service office in Wakefield. In his eyes, these tips are essential when prepping for hurricane season.
"You really don't want to rely on electricity, water, or anything like that," Orrock said. "You want to be self-sufficient so have all that stuff ready to go."
Hurricanes pose a laundry list of hazards, including storm surge, high winds, and tornadoes.
In the instance of Hurricane Camille, according to the National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, there were more deaths from the storm in Virginia than when Camille made landfall in Mississippi. Those deaths were due to flooding, a well-known problem in Hampton Roads.
"Eighty percent of a tropical system is water, and over half of those are from freshwater inland," Graham said. "So it's not just the storm surge, it's the rainfall inland."
It only takes one landfalling system to make any hurricane season impactful. So make sure to have a plan.
Hurricane Preparedness Week runs until May 11 and hurricane season begins on June 1. Check out the 13News Now's Hurricane Center for more information.