Superensemble

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June Too Soon' For Hurricanes, But Not For Disaster Preparedness
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Published: Jun 13, 2006

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Old boaters have a little ditty about hurricanes that seems appropriate this week: "June too soon; July stand by; August, come they must; September remember; October all over."

Too bad Mother Nature isn't singing along instead of trying to remedy a months-long drought with a daylong rain dump.

Still, the first named storm of the season has arrived, so it's time to ask: Are we prepared?

The answer this year is more positive than a few years ago, when a storm the size of Alberto would have been greeted with shrugs. It's reassuring to see emergency centers abuzz, sandbags being filled, supplies being stocked and Gov. Jeb Bush stepping into his all-too-familiar role as the voice of calm, caution and preparedness.

Another bit of good news is the announcement that Florida State University and Weather Predict, a North Carolina company that provides weather information to businesses, will reverse course and continue sharing advanced hurricane-tracking technology with the National Hurricane Center. The university sold exclusive rights to its storm-tracking technology, called Superensemble, to Weather Predict this year.

Superensemble is especially good at predicting the intensification of a hurricane - important public safety information given the evacuation challenges facing Florida's overdeveloped coasts. FSU had made its decision over the objections of NHC director Max Mayfield and reversed itself only after bad publicity last week. No one objects to Florida universities making money on the technology they develop, but putting royalties ahead of public safety was a terrible public relations move for a publicly supported university.

On the local front, stormy days like Monday make us grateful that Tampa is pushing ahead with a five-year, $60-million upgrade of the stormwater drainage system. Hillsborough County, too, is in the midst of a five-year program to address drainage problems in 94 flood-prone areas. One need only note the dozens of crashes from hydroplaning cars Monday to understand the importance of improving stormwater drainage.

Of course, government disaster planning is only part of the equation. Families must take responsibility, too, for having their own plans. A great tool for doing that is at http://www.floridadisaster.org, the state's emergency planning Web site. It walks you through a few simple questions and helps you generate a plan, including how much water your family will need, a checklist for storm supplies, personal evacuation maps and local emergency contacts. It couldn't be easier.

As the governor reminded Floridians on Monday, even Category 1 hurricanes can be deadly for some and make life miserable for countless others.

Yes, the old ditty is right: June is too soon. Still, whether Alberto proves to be a practice run or a real disaster, hurricane season is here and it's time to prepare for a long, bumpy ride.