The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active in the 154 years records have been kept. It had the most named storms (27, beating 1933’s total of 21), the most hurricanes (14, beating 1969’s total of 12), and the most Category 5 storms (3). Seven storms were major hurricanes—category 3 or higher—of which a record 4 hit the U.S. An average season based on the past 40 years would have had 11 named storms and 6 hurricanes, including 2 major hurricanes. For the first time since the current naming system was introduced in 1953, all 21 names on the year’s list were used, forcing the National Hurricane Center to name 6 later storms after Greek letters.
With six months until the official start of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA urges hurricane-prone residents to take proactive measures during this time. “The battle against the hurricane season is won during the off season. Winter and spring is the time to conduct hurricane preparations, such as stocking supplies, assembling a safety kit that includes a NOAA Weather Radio and preparing an evacuation plan,” said Max Mayfield, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Katrina was the costliest hurricane ever to strike the U.S. as it made the top 10. Katrina was also the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1928 displacing a million people and killing about 1,200.
Disaster Coordinator for the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica Patricia Lewis, is reporting a 90 per cent state of readiness for the anticipated active hurricane season, which begins next month. Hopefully efforts to fully prepare the parishes are accurate since last year the access to certain areas in more than half of the parishes were inpassable for weeks and needed extensive repairs on major roadways.
Last year the region experienced the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, with more than 2,000 deaths and record damage valued at more than US$100 billion.