CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The 2020 hurricane season has already gotten off to a fast start and that reminds us to be prepared early.
You don't want to get caught in a position where we go on the air and tell people there is a storm out there and its headed this way.
And the threat is real.
That gives you that sinking feeling that you haven’t prepared early and often.
And we know from past experiences that no two storms are alike.
We will mark the 50-year anniversary of Hurricane Celia this year after it came on Aug. 3, 1970.
Most folks who lived in the area at the time didn’t feel like they needed to evacuate because the storm was supposed to come in with about 100 mph winds.
They got the warning that morning around 10 a.m.
The hurricane hit around 4:30 p.m. with wind gusts in the area of 180 mph.
I don’t know of anybody that I talked to that stayed for that storm that didn’t fear for their lives and wished that they had been better prepared.
And we know the forecast can change.
In fact with Harvey in 2017, we saw how fast it intensified with the rapid intensification.
And that's right. That storm was so devastating to the Rockport and Port Aransas areas.
So that's why you need to be prepared.
Have a plan and don’t get caught in the middle.
And all of the information you need to know about is in our hurricane special.
Which is coming up right now.
Here are some comments from experts.
“Most of our major hurricanes hit Texas in August,” John Metz said. “That's not usual. But take the time now. Take from past experience the potentially life changing event that a hurricane is.
“If you shut your eyes and envision a hurricane what do you see? You see palm trees, you see rain moving sideways. You don’t see the ocean coming in land. that's what it’s so hard for people to envision storm surge and trust the storm surge forecast.
“So you have to get away from the water and just kinda make sure you hide from the wind,” said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center.
“It's just not survivable and even if it were. the misery and suffering that you would endure for days afterwards is just not worth it,” said Jamie Rhome of the National Weather Service.
“You think about your cell phone not working,” Graham said. “There's no television. there's nothing. You don't have power for weeks this is something we don’t really think about and that's what we have to think about when it comes to after a hurricane. You have to be ready. You have to be prepared.."
