The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center has released 2019 Hurricane Season Outlooks, predicting an above-normal season in the Eastern and Central Pacific and a near-normal season in the Atlantic (an update to the Atlantic outlook is planned for August, prior to peak season). Visit the National Hurricane Center website for up to date information on storms throughout the season, including interactive tracking maps with wind and storm surge warnings.
Regardless of how active the 2019 season is, any one storm could have an incredible impact on your facility. The early arrival of Sub-tropical Storm Andrea as the first named storm of the 2019 Atlantic season is a reminder that now is the best time to review your hurricane preparedness plans and reach out to local emergency management about your concerns. Building a relationship with local emergency management ahead of an incident will help you learn what resources might be available and how to request them; disasters begin and end locally which means any request will need to go through your local emergency management.
If you are new to the planning process the Contingency Planning Modules for Zoos and Aquariums can help you get started, and we welcome you to contact us with any questions.