Far from the Eye - The Dangers of Hurricanes in the Northern States

Many people associate the dangers of a hurricane to being restricted to the area where the massive storm makes landfall and eventually fizzles out on land, but in reality the threat of a hurricane can sometimes drift far away from the actual storm itself. While those areas that it direct hits are the most drastically effected, other areas of the nation can sometimes have adverse effects because of the hurricane as well and need to prepare for it as well if the threat comes their way.

I have been a resident of New York all my life, and as far as I know we've been blessed with having very few if any tropical storms or hurricanes make landfall nearby. But this doesn't mean we're out of harm's way; sometimes the terrible weather that a hurricane brings onshore doesn't stop down South where the hurricane hits land. There can sometimes be segments of the storm that break off as the storm falls apart on land and make their way North, and this can lead to drastic effects on the weather.

From experience, I can tell you that sometimes the weather these fragments cause can be terrible. First of all, we've had rainstorms before where it was just continuous rainfall all day long that culminated into inches of precipitation. To combat this leading to flooding in residential areas, make sure your ditches are kept clear of debris. Where I live the water travels downhill towards the bottom of my development, but if the ditches aren't kept free from dead leaves, branches and other blockages then the water can sometimes back up and flood into the road, which can be very hazardous to traveling vehicles. Also, make sure that your house doesn't lie in the path of flood waters if there's a substantial amount of rain; there could be certain methods you could use in order to eliminate this threat, such as some type of irrigation system that will move the water to another, safer area to drain into.

Another threat that we've experienced due to storms from hurricanes is the possibility of tornado winds, or microbursts as they're commonly called. These are powerful winds that sometimes occur at random and are very common in the hurricane itself. (These are the winds that can cause random damage, where one house is destroyed while the house right beside it is hardly damaged.) We've experienced those kinds of terrible winds here before, and they reached near tornado levels at times and have toppled many of our trees. In order to protect against these and their threats, make sure you're inside if there's even a possibility of terrible winds associated with a hurricane's storms. Being outside could drastically increase the possibility of being harmed, so if you have any trips or day plans for that day, you're far better off putting them off until the threat has passed. If you live in an area that's highly surrounded by trees, make sure there aren't any that appeared to be dying or weakened by something. If the winds are too powerful, these are the first trees that could snap and could possibly damage your home. If they present this sort of danger, it might be best to have them removed to eliminate the threat. (Trees like this also present a threat during other events such as ice storms, or any other conditions in which the tree's limited strength could be overcome by the weight or force of the weather.) If you have windows that face into the wind, be sure to stay away from them; these winds could cause debris or other objects to smash against them and causes them to break.

Of course, these two factors are associated with powerful, severe thunderstorms, so lightning is always a factor in these dangers as well. Lightning kills hundreds of people every year, and usually this is because they were either outside when the danger of it was around, or were using an electrical device during a storm. Never risk your life using something that could possibly have an electrical surge; if you need to make a phone call, use a cordless phone or wait until the storm has passed if you do not have one. Stay away from doors and windows, or any other unprotected areas of your house where the electrical current could be threatening. Don't use the shower, bathtub, or even sinks unless it's crucial too, because electricity can easily pass through water as well. If you're out in the water, such as in a pool or natural body of water when a storm is nearby, exit the water as fast as you can to eliminate this risk.

Up here in the North, we get our share of terrible storms regardless if it's summer or winter, but people can sometimes underestimate the lasting and powerful effect of a hurricane. Even if it makes landfall hundreds of miles away, there could still be portions of it that manage to make their way here, and if that's so it's a good idea to be prepared in case the storms are severe. Sometimes there is little to no threat depending on which way the storms head, or how strong they are at landfall, but it's always better safe than sorry to keep an eye on the Weather Channel or another weather broadcasting station if there's a hurricane that's threatening the Eastern or Southern Coast. I hope that all of you will take these tips into consideration when you're preparing for this years hurricane season and all have a safe summer, and are ready for whatever may come!