American Safety Zone - 2005 Hurricanes

2005 Hurricanes

Although the 2005 hurricane season has shown us many tropical depressions and tropical storms, only 13 have become hurricanes so far. However, at least three of these hurricanes (hurricane Katrina, hurricane Rita and hurricane Wilma) have been so severe that it got the attention of most of the nation and made those who live in hurricane-prone areas stop taking hurricane safety for granted.

What the 2005 Hurricanes Taught Everyone

Time and time again, when a hurricane is headed toward the Gulf Coast states or the Atlantic Coast states, people don't follow weather safety suggestions. This is usually the result of years of preparing, over and over again, only to find out it wasn't necessary after all. That's what many of the victims of the 2005 hurricanes thought. Many victims of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans said that they survived hurricane Camille in the late 60s, so they thought they could survive Katrina. Now they wish they had evacuated, boarded up, etc.

Although five of the 2005 hurricanes were Category 1s and only one was a Category 2, two were Category 3s, two were Category 4s and three were Category 5s. The three most memorable of the 2005 hurricanes were hurricane Katrina, hurricane Rita and hurricane Wilma. In fact, many years from now, if you ask someone what they remember most about the 2005 hurricanes, they'll likely say hurricane Katrina. That's the one that got the most press because of the damage, devastation and loss of life. But ask Texans the same question, and they might say hurricane Katrina and hurricane Rita. Ask south Floridians and they will likely say hurricane Wilma was the one that effected them most. Most don't know it, but hurricane Wilma wiped out power and water in four counties in south Florida. Many still don't have power restored, and won't for weeks. Almost all traffic signals were destroyed, and officials say it could take up to a year to get them all up and running again. Those without power who have water back almost certainly are showering in cold water because water in south Florida, most water heaters are powered by electricity, not natural gas.

Another issue that arose with the 2005 hurricanes is the fact that a lot of people are injured using generators because they don't know how to use them properly. This makes home safety an issue because you can easily start a fire with a generator if you aren't careful. Also, people try to run them in their homes instead of outside. This leads to many illnesses--even death--because of the fumes.

Basically, you should never take hurricane safety for granted. What's the worst that can happen if you prepare and get no damage?