Impact

Medium impact

Cost

Affordable

Time

Moderate

Climate change is linked to an increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes. Warmer oceans feed energy to storms, which makes hurricanes stronger and more damaging. By understanding this risk, individuals and communities can better prepare for more severe weather events.

Find out if you live in a hurricane zone

Hurricanes are more likely to happen along the coast, but can impact areas even hundreds of miles inland. Knowing how often and how severe hurricanes have been in your area can help provide a baseline risk assessment. Search hurricanes by location using the Historical Hurricane Tracks tool from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Image sourced from Esri

Evaluate local preparedness

As climate change makes natural disasters more severe and frequent, many people are finding themselves exposed to unfamiliar threats. Preparation can be the difference between life and death.

Take precautions

Start by creating an emergency kit, developing an evacuation plan, and figuring out how you'll stay informed if disaster strikes. You could also consider researching building codes and regulations to determine the hurricane-resistance of your home, securing items to surfaces, and updating your insurance to cover hurricane damage including flooding.

Check out the article below from Ready.gov for more preparation tips, and refer to your local safety departments for relevant information.