National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Alabama Hurricane Awareness Week
May 24-30, 2009

Hurricane season officially runs from June 1st through the end of November. Governor Bob Riley has proclaimed the week of May 24-30, 2009, as Hurricane Preparedness Week in Alabama.

The National Weather Service, in cooperation with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, takes time during this important week to draw attention to the threat of hurricanes. This book highlights the primary hazards associated with tropical storms and hurricanes, and will give you information to assist you in being prepared when a hurricane threatens. During Hurricane Preparedness Week residents both near the coast, as well as those in interior locations, should review preparedness plans and be ready for the next Gulf coast hurricane.

Everyone is urged to use Hurricane Awareness Week to formulate and review hurricane preparedness plans. Even inland communities need to make plans for hurricanes, such as assisting coastal evacuees, dealing with flooding, tornadoes and high winds.

We remain in a cycle of increased hurricane activity. Only one major hurricane hitting the United States coast could cause billions of dollars in property damage and many fatalities. Let's take time now to be prepared, because it is not a matter of if but when.

Each day this week, the NWS in Birmingham will issue a public information statement (PNS) detailing a specific threat that hurricanes create. Here are the topics that will be covered:

Informational Links:

Poster: Hurricanes and the Gulf Coast States

Poster: Safety and Preparedness during Hurricane Season

National Hurricane Preparedness Week Information

American Red Cross

FEMA Hurricane Preparedness

Entire Hurricane Preparedness Document: (PDF)