To promote life safety and reduce human suffering and property loss through public education and fire prevention programs. To mitigate the consequences of fire, accident, sudden illness or disaster in the community. To recognize that every individual is valuable and to maximize each member’s potential.  To reach into the future, never forgetting the past.

 Hurricane Preparedness

The 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1, 2009 and ends on November 30, 2009.  While we have not experienced the major effects from tropical systems in the past few years, the potential is always there for a storm to unleash its power on our area.  As a reminder, last year we saw localized flooding and some tree damage due to T.S. Hanna as it brushed our area.   The forecast for this season is for near normal activity in the Atlantic Ocean.  This means we could still receive one or more storms so we all must be prepared.  There are many things to be considered throughout the hurricane season.

Everyone needs to be prepared for the potential of a land falling tropical system.  The damage from the storm could be due to winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes.  You should check your emergency kit to ensure the items are current for the year.  You should replace the batteries, water, and food supplies stored in your kit with fresh supplies.  You can find out just what is needed in your kit by reviewing the “Emergency Three Day Kit” link on the Emergency Management page. The webpage also provides valuable information and links to additional hurricane and emergency preparedness websites.  

One of the websites you can access from the Emergency Management page is ReadyNC.org.  This website provides valuable emergency preparedness information and includes two “Special” features.  First, it can be displayed in Spanish.  When you go to the site, you can click on language choice on the left side of the screen under to logo.  Second, this site has the information available to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  Simply select a page, and then select the “Deaf Link” symbol on the left side of the screen.

Saffir-Simpson Scale:  Rates Hurricane strength based on the wind speeds.  It is used to give a potential for damage caused by the storm.

Category One Hurricane – 74-95 mph
Category Two Hurricane – 96-110 mph
Category Three Hurricane – 111-130 mph
Category Four Hurricane – 131-155 mph
Category Five Hurricane – Greater than 156 mph

2009 Storm Names: