Hurricanes and tropical storms are one of Mother Nature’s most powerful and destructive forces. Lives are lost and property is destroyed by Hurricanes each year. It’s a big enough issue that the federal government has an agency tasked specifically with improving policies to mitigate that damage. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) annually collaborates with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to develop and refine protocols, procedures, and messages aimed at saving lives and reducing storm-induced destruction.
According to the New York Post, some of the changes that have occurred as a result of that collaboration over the last few years have focused on the naming of subtropical systems, the issuance of storm surge watches and warnings, and the expansion of lead time for high wind alerts. The newest changes will go into effect on May 15th and last through November 30, which is what the NHC considers to be hurricane season.
During the annual WMO hurricane committee meeting last year, the NHC outlined potential changes that were being looked into for the upcoming hurricane season. One of those major changes is adjusting from the current 5-day tropical storm forecasts and outlooks to a model that makes predictions 7 days in advance instead. The color coding associated with the scale will not change. A potential storm outlined in yellow will still indicate a low probability of development. Orange will still indicate medium likelihood. Meanwhile, red will still indicate a high likelihood that a storm develops.
Potential Hurricane Names For 2023 Released
The 2023 Tropical System naming list was also recently published. It was also reported that after the particularly horrible destruction left behind by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, those names will never be used for hurricanes again.
The list of potential 2023 tropical storm and hurricane names is below:
- Arlene
- Bret
- Cindy
- Don
- Emily
- Franklin
- Gert
- Harold
- Idalia
- Jose
- Katia
- Lee Margot
- Nigel
- Ophelia
- Philippe
- Rina
- Sean
- Tammy
- Vince
- Whitney
Florida Governor Announces $500 Million In Storm Relief
While preparations are getting started for the 2023 hurricane season, the fallout from the 2022 hurricane is still being felt throughout much of Florida. However, a little more than a month ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared big steps toward getting things cleaned up.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that the Sunshine State would be receiving $500 Million in funding to aid in hurricane relief efforts. The Governor also reiterated that such a substantial amount of money had been dedicated to storm relief so quickly. “There’s been no major hurricane in Florida’s history where up to this point, 112 days after, that even one dollar had been obligated,” DeSantis said.
The Governor didn’t just announce the state was offering up financial resources though. Governor DeSantis also just started a mobile trailer program to help people displaced by the storms. The program is similar to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Homeless Program. But without the bureaucratic red tape of dealing with a major Washington D.C.-based agency. Many Floridians are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole.
The $500 million in funding is part of the state’s Freedom First Budget Plan for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. “Florida has become one of the most proactive states in the nation in addressing the environmental resiliency of our communities. Following historic funding last year, the Freedom First Budget keeps this momentum going by continuing to take strong steps to ensure state and local communities are prepared to deal with the impacts of storm surge, hurricanes, and flooding,” he said.
