Manatee County leaders are preaching preparedness as the annual Atlantic Hurricane Season begins.
“And we’re expecting a busier than normal Hurricane Season for this year … again,” said Public Safety Director Jacob Saur. “It’s never too early to get ready.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14-21 named storms between now and the end of November. Six to ten of those are expected to strengthen into hurricanes—and three to six could approach major hurricanes status. Colorado State University researchers have also said it will likely be an above-average season, with 19 named storms, nine hurricanes, with four of them becoming major.
Forecasters are already keeping their eyes on a potential system in the Gulf of Mexico that could become the first named system of 2022.
While “new” residents are especially encouraged to do their homework before a storm threatens, local emergency managers are encouraging ALL Manatee residents to check their location, status and plans now—even if they’ve been through storms before.
“Evacuation levels have changed a bit this year with some new studies,” said Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer. “It’s important to know your zone.”
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