Terms & Conditions

Coastal Flood Warning
A warning that significant wind-forced flooding is eminent along low-lying coastal areas.

Coastal Flood Watch
An alert that wind-forced flooding is expected along low-lying coastal areas.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
The County or municipal facility that provides coordination and control of all emergency response and recovery activities.

Evacuation Order
The most important instruction you will receive from local government officials, relayed over local radio and television stations. Once issued, an evacuation order is mandatory under law in the State of Florida.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The agency that assists local governments and citizens in recovering from a disaster, only upon the direction of the President of the United States.

Flood Warning
Heavy rains are expected to cause flooding (minor, moderate or major).

Hurricane Warning
Hurricane conditions are expected in the specified area of the warning, usually within 24 hours. Complete all storm preparations as soon as possible.

Hurricane Watch
Hurricane conditions are possible in the specified area of the watch, usually within 36 hours. During a hurricane watch, prepare to take immediate action to protect your family and property in case a hurricane warning is issued.

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA provides continuous broadcast of weather conditions in the Tampa Bay Area on a frequency of 162.550 MHz.

Tropical Storm Warning
Tropical storm conditions, with winds ranging from 39-73 mph, are expected in specific coastal areas within 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Watch
Tropical storm conditions pose a threat to coastal areas, generally within 36 hours.

Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale

When a hurricane passes through, is it true I should have the windows open on the side of my house that faces the wind?
No. Hurricane winds swirl from all directions and exert both pressure and suction. If wind gets into your home, it will seek a way out, blowing out a roof or ceiling, collapsing a gable end or a garage door. Your goal is to keep the wind out, period.

Does taping my windows with masking or duct tape help?
No. It doesn't keep your windows from breaking and it just takes time from other, more useful tasks as you prepare your home. What it will do is leave your window with a gooky residue that's difficult to scrape off. You don't need another cleanup chore once the storm passes.

Is it true that the county will send someone to evacuate me?
As we learned during the 2004 Hurricane season, when the storm is bearing down on us, county emergency operations personnel will decline to send out rescue teams - "first responders" - into a life-threatening storm. Lesson to learn: Evacuate when you're told to. The harder it is for you to leave (if you are elderly, mobility-impaired or require complicated medical equipment), the sooner you should evacuate.

Can I reuse the sandbags I got last hurricane season?
Generally, yes. Store them in a dry spot indoors perhaps in a shed or garage. The bags may deteriorate or become moldy if exposed to sun, water and insects.

How long can I keep bottled water? I still have some from last summer.
That depends on who bottled it. If you refilled a water bottle from the office cooler or the home tap, it is best consumed within two weeks if refrigerated or within a day it has been standing at room temperature. If it was bottled commercially, it is good indefinitely, even if there is an expiration date on the bottle. Some states require expiration dates on all packaged foods, so some water bottlers put them on all their bottles, even those shipped to states that don't require them.

What are the hurricane standards for new homes in the Tampa Bay area today?
Florida code as of 2002 requires that buildings must be designed to withstand differentials that occur when windows and doors are pierced by debris, or that all exterior glass windows and doors be made of shatter-resistant glass or be protected by shutters.

Is there any place in a house or apartment that's safer than others for valuables?
The dishwasher is a good place if you don't have a personal safe. Dishwashers are anchored to cabinets and plumbing, they are waterproof and they have doors that lock.

Why are hurricanes named?
Tropical cyclones - the proper name for hurricanes - are named to provide ease of communication between forecasters and the public. The storms often last a week or longer and more than one can occur at the same time in the same area. The first use of a proper name for a tropical cyclone was by an Australian forecaster, who named tropical after politicians he didn't like. The weatherman could publicly describe a politician as "causing great distress" or "wandering aimlessly about in the Pacific". During World War II, tropical cyclones were given women's names by U.S. Army Air Forces and Navy meteorologists', and were named after meteorologists' girlfriends or wives. From 1950 to 1952, tropical cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean were identified by the phonetic alphabet, such as Able, Baker, or Charlie, but in 1953 the U.S. Weather Bureau switched to women's names. Gender parity didn't come until 1979, when the World Meteorological Organization and the U.S. National Weather Service switched to a list of names that included men's names.

What will hurricanes be named in 2013?
Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy