El Niño and La Niña are both effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. About every 3-5 years, the surface temperatures in the Pacific equatorial region fluctuate to the point where the temperatures are either above the average (El Niño) or below the average (La Niña). A long time ago, fishermen in South America noticed the warmer Pacific water temperatures that peaked around December. They named it El Niño de Navidad which was shortened to just El Niño (the little boy) later. La Niña (the little girl) is just the opposite and is marked by a period of colder waters in the Pacific equatorial region.
El Niño weakens the trade winds which pushes the warmer waters to the east causing the warming of the Pacific waters which in turn causes the jet stream in the Pacific to move south of its normal position. This movement causes the northern US and Canada to experience warmer and drier weather than normal. It also causes the southern US to experience warmer and wetter weather than normal.
La Niña strengthens the trade winds pushing the warmer waters to the west. This pushing of the waters to the west causes the colder water to be drawn up from deeper in the Pacific causing a cooling of the eastern Pacific. This cooling pushes the jet stream to the north causing wetter weather in the northern US and Canada and warmer, drier weather in the southern US. Sometimes the La Niña conditions will even cause widespread drought in the southern US. La Niña also causes ideal conditions for the formation of tropical cyclones.
El Niño to La Niña Transition
The transition from El Niño to La Niña usually predicts a busier hurricane season than normal. As the gap between the end of El Niño and the beginning of La Niña shrinks, the intensity of that season is predicted to increase. The 2024 season was one of those events.
Being prepared for a disaster is much like practicing a drill or studying for a test. We prepare by learning ahead of time what we need to know and then just executing it when it is needed. This article will help identify the things that need to be accomplished in order to be “prepared”. We will look at making an Emergency/Disaster Plan, putting together a Disaster GO Kit, and Staying Informed of developing situations where we may need to react.
Make a Plan
Family members may not, and in some cases will not, be together when an emergency situation arises. There needs to be a plan that identifies where you will get together, how you will communicate, and what you plan to do in different emergencies.
Household Information
You will need to document your home information such as address, phone number, and possibly directions that a younger child can give to a public safety official.
Family Members
You include a list of your family members in the home and their contact information. You should also include those locally that may need to be contacted in an emergency. You should also have the contact information for a friend or family member out of state that can be a contact hub if communication locally is difficult or impossible. Include contact information for things like e-mail addresses, Facebook, or other social media sites. If family members have any specific medical or other issues that might require special handling, include those as well. Some examples would be wheelchair, oxygen, hearing aids, etc. Don’t forget to include any pets, relatives, or other boarders living with you.
Emergency Information
Include emergency contact information for schools, work, and other places of business that are visited frequently such as a gym, church, or recreation center. This should include a physical address and possibly directions, phone numbers, contact person, website, and possibly any pre-planned pickup or other emergency actions taken by the location.
Emergency Contacts
Make a list of people and locations that you might need to contact for assistance during or immediately after an emergency. This should include any and all methods of contacting them to include phone numbers, cell phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail address, websites, Facebook, etc.
Threat Types
Try to identify what types of disasters or emergencies you might face in your area and have a plan for each type. Include whether you will stay or leave or make that call when it happens. If you might be dispersed geographically, determine a few meeting locations where you can gather the family and a way to let everyone know which location to meet at. Include directions to each place and an alternate location if the chosen location is inaccessible.
Medical Information
Include any doctors, hospitals, or other medical facilities that you might need to use or contact. Also include any medical conditions that might be exacerbated by or made more difficult by a disaster situation. Include lists of prescriptions take by each family member and any special medical equipment that needs to be taken. Make sure to document any allergies that family members might have along with the typical reaction. Include any emergency medications such as epi pens, etc. For pets, include the veterinarian information for each pet.
Insurance Information
Include all home owners, health, auto, and life insurance policies along with the carrier name and contact information and what, and who, they cover. Include the policy number and expiration dates of coverage.
Resources
You can go to the Red Cross or FEMA to get a “fill in the blank” type form to make your Family Emergency Plan from the links below:
When a disaster hits, you may be able to stay home or you may have to evacuate. A lot of the time when you evacuate you don’t know ahead of time where you can evacuate to. You need to be able to provide for yourselves for a short time and have on hand what you need to be successful. You can put your “GO Kit” contents into a backpack, bucket, tote, or even a rollable foot locker depending on the size needed. Backpacks are good for children to have to take their individual personal supplies. Buckets and totes are good for older children and adults to carry individual personal items. A larger rollable foot locker might be used to carry family supplies. The list below and in the Resources section can help you identify what you might need to include in these GO Kits.
GO Kit Contents
GO Kits should be individualized for each person since no list will be all inclusive for what everyone needs. The contents are broken down into categories.
Disaster Supplies
This would include items like flashlights, batteries, radios, large trash bags, moist towelettes, a small tool kit, and other items you might need. Also include a cell phone and multiple chargers. Keep everything small and compact. Remember you have to carry this with you. Many places you might evacuate to will not have any type of bedding. Even shelters that provide a cot will often not have sheets or even a pillow. Bringing your own bedding, even a sleeping bag, is advisable.
Emergency Supplies
This would include a first aid kit, hygiene supplies like soap, disinfectant, medications, etc. Include contact lenses, eye glasses, and the cleaning/care supplies for them. Always have at least one pair of eye glasses incase something goes wrong with the contact lenses.
Food and Water
Take enough water to have roughly 1gal / day for each family member. Some of this can be water bottles that are included in the individual kits. Food should not require much in the way of preparation. MREs normally have a heating pouch in them and are a good choice. Also carry snacks and other non-perishable foods that can be eaten without any preparation.
Now that you are prepared for emergencies, you need to stay informed so that you know when an emergency is coming or has happened. The best ways are to sign up for your city’s and county’s alert e-mails and tests. For weather related emergencies you can get a weather alert radio that will sound an audible alarm when an emergency exists with the weather. Always keep an ear out for any news of developing situations so that you can plan and be prepared.
Other Resources
FEMA and non-profit organizations like the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, or DR Solutions have numerous resources and training courses that will help prepare you for emergencies and disasters.
The 2024 hurricane season for the Atlantic was a very busy one. Initial predictions in MAY, 2024 were that we would see around 23 Named Storms with 11 Hurricanes and 5 Major Hurricanes. Predictions were adjusted when the Atlantic Ocean experienced a Saharan Air Layer (SAL) which calmed the activity for most of the month of July. A SAL is a layer of dust that comes off of the Saharan desert, Morocco in this case, and creates a dampening effect on storm formation in the Atlantic (see image below).
The season had one of the slowest starts since 2014 with the first named storm, Alberto, not forming until 19 JUL. Alberto was followed, though, by Beryl which reached CAT 5 strength. Beryl was the earliest to reach CAT 4 and then CAT 5 in recorded history. The season had a pause in July but picked back up in early August with Debbie. August stayed fairly mild with only two named storms.
September activity picked back up with 6 named storms during the month which included Helene. Helene’s path took it along the gulf coast of Florida pushing water into the coastal areas and bringing damaging winds along the gulf coast. The widespread debris and flooding caused an issue when Milton, which had strengthened to the second CAT 5 in the season, was heading towards the same areas effected by Helene. Emergency debris clearance operations were started to minimize the amount of loose materials in the areas in order to mitigate damage from flying debris.
Sara was the final named storm of 2024 but it only made it to Tropical Storm strength. Overall, there were 18 Named Storms, 11 Hurricanes, and 5 Major Hurricanes in 2024, not much different from the predictions for the number of Hurricanes and Major Hurricanes. The 2024 season was the second most costly Atlantic hurricane season in history with over $227.3 billion in damages. The final tally will be well over that once the last of the assessments are processed and could put 2024 close to or more than the 2017 season which holds the top honors currently.
Rank
Cost
Season
1
≥ $294.803 billion
2017
2
> $227.3 billion
2024
3
$172.297 billion
2005
4
$117.708 billion
2022
5
≥ $80.827 billion
2021
6
$72.341 billion
2012
7
$61.148 billion
2004
8
$54.336 billion
2020
9
≥ $50.526 billion
2018
10
≥ $48.855 billion
2008
In the end, the 2024 season saw 9 named storms, half of the total named storms, during the last 2 months of the season with 3 active storms at one point in time. A strong finish to a very busy season, even with a very quiet July and August.
