Atlantic Hurricane Switch Just Turned ON -

I’m in Dallas at a conference and caught a program on the Weather channel show about “Complacency” – how people stop preparing for a hurricane after being hit, thinking “it won’t happen again.” Then they get hit again – and are surprised. It’s discussed in a book by a Wharton Professor called “War with the Weather.” They are talking about people in Florida but it applies to Texas and other coastal cities as well.

How can anyone in a hurricane zone think one hit is all you’ll get?

To counter the apathy the Professor said people need to put value on protecting their homes and buildings from these storms. He suggests taking protective measures to avoid future damages -- including getting long term insurance. Julie Rochman talked about the economic logic of “hardening” homes against damage from storms, like" having impact doors and windows that are storm resistant."

As if to underscore their words, satellites show that two new tropical depressions have formed off Africa’s coast. One is higher and in a dry air zone, but it is also acting as a running blocker for the second one --which is much bigger in size and low enough in latitude to be in the wet zone needed for it to build up -- and roll into “the slot” into the Gulf of Mexico. We'll see.

A Weather lady said it was as if someone had”flipped a switch” and the Atlantic tropical storm season started up, just now. She's right.

So, DON’T BE COMPLACENT. Hurricanes can and do strike the same place more than once. Our first one could be here in two weeks...
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