REPUBLICATION:  The Louisiana Weekly

Mayor C. Ray Nagin, Guest Columnist
June 11, 2007

As a new hurricane season begins, I want ask each citizen to ensure that you are prepared to evacuate should that need arise.

You need to have a plan for where you will go, as well as essential supplies, including, among other items, medications, cash, road maps, a first aid kit, important papers, food, water and clothing for three days. Make certain that your car is ready to go and that you keep plenty of gas in your tank.

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Hurricane Terminology

(from Hurricane Watch Net)
The following terminology is used during the hurricane season when advisories are issued to warn the public. Additionally, a scale of hurricane intensity has been developed to give people an indication of how strong a storm is and what sort of damage can result from a given “category” of storm. This scale is called the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

TROPICAL WAVE OR EASTERLY WAVE:
A trough of low pressure in the trade-wind easterlies that can develop into a tropical disturbance.

TROPICAL DISTURBANCE:
A moving area of thunderstorms in the tropics that maintains its identity for 24 hours or more. This is a common phenomenon in the tropics. During the summer, these can develop into tropical depressions.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION:
A circulation at the surface in the tropics with a highest constant wind speed of 38 mph (33 knots) or less. A tropical depression is watched for possible development into a tropical storm.

TROPICAL STORM:
A distinct circulation with a wind speed of 39 to 74 mph (34 to 63 knots). Tropical storms often develop further into hurricanes.

HURRICANE:
Pronounced circulation with a constant wind speed of 74 mph (64 knots) or greater. Hurricanes can intensify to become major storms. They are rated on an intensity scale called the Saffir-Simpson scale.

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