By Merritt Melancon
University of
Georgia

In coastal Georgia counties, early June signals the start of
tropical weather season and a time of preparation and storm
tracking that lasts until the end of the season in late
November.

But it’s not just the coast that should be preparing.

“The whole state is vulnerable to hurricane damage, from the
mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain,” said state
climatologist David Stooksbury.

Yes, the coast is the most immediately threatened, said
Stooksbury, a professor of biological and agricultural
engineering at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences.

But the rest of the state is susceptible to serious wind damage
and flooding from tropical weather systems that come up through
Georgia’s coast and through the Florida panhandle from the Gulf
of Mexico.

In fact, the largest cause of loss of life during hurricanes and
tropical storms is flooding and driving through flooded roads.

Inland flooding of rain-swollen streams can be just as serious
as the coastal flooding caused by tidal surges and rain, said
Greg Padgett, a Georgia Emergency Management Agency
meteorologist.

In July 1994, Tropical Storm Alberto dumped 10 to 20 inches of
rain in west and central Georgia. The rain overran the Flint,
Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers, flooding an area the size of
Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined.

The flood forced the evacuation of more than 40,000 Georgia
residents. It closed 1,700 roads, 300 bridges, destroyed 12,000
homes and businesses and took the lives of 30 people.

Alberto not only showed the danger inland counties face from
tropical weather, Padgett said, it also showed all tropical
weather systems can cause problems, not just hurricanes.

“Don’t let your guard down,” he said. “Don’t say it’s not a
hurricane, so I don’t have to be worried. It’s not the intensity
of the storm. It’s the forward speed, as far as flooding is
concerned.”

Stooksbury said that even a tropical depression can drop
devastating amounts of rain on an area and cause wind damage,
too.

“People should pay attention to any tropical weather storm or
depression,” he said. “They should be prepared for tropical
weather seasons — not just hurricanes.”

Stooksbury offered these tips for preparing your family and home
for this year’s tropical weather season.

• Make sure you have flood insurance to cover your home, crops
  and business. Flood insurance is available from the government
  at this Web site: www.fema.gov/nfip/
  index.htm.




• When you hear that tropical weather may be coming, get your
  home prepared. Tie down anything that could be blown away and
  tape your windows, so they won’t shatter.




• Make sure you have a safe place to put your animals, whether
  you are going to stay or evacuate. This applies not only to
  livestock, but to your pets as well.




• If you live in a coastal area, know your county’s emergency
  evacuation plan and what shelter you plan to go to after you
  evacuate. If you have pets, remember to find a shelter that
  allows pets.




• Finally, your whole family needs to have a contact person
  who lives outside the region being hit. That way, when
  everyone’s scattered and evacuating, they can check in with this
  stable person and distribute news about everyone’s whereabouts
  and condition.