Part of preparing for and reacting to a disaster is to know the terms used to describe that disaster. In the case of a hurricane or possible hurricane activity there are some terms you will need to be aware of.

Knowing the terms related to a hurricane disaster can help keep you alert during the time if listening or viewing a weather report. Some of those terms are as follows:

Advisory: This is a report about current hurricane activity that takes place every six hours usually. This activity may or may not affect your immediate area, but you will hear about it.

Special Advisory: This is the report of a recent dramatic change in weather conditions, particularly in the case of change from calm to possible hurricane-like conditions.

Gale Warning: This is informing people that fierce winds of approximately 35-54 mph and strong wave action is taking place.

Storm Warning: This is the indication that winds of 55-73 mph are expected to occur in an area. These winds may have already taken place elsewhere and are rapidly approaching your area.

Hurricane Watch: This is a warning that a hurricane could hit your area within 24-36 hours.

Hurricane Warning: This is in the case of a hurricane expected to reach an area within 24 hours or less. If this is you, you are the ones who should most be concerned and want to take action. If you have not reached this point yet you still may want to take action. The sooner you take action the better.

In the case of a hurricane warning the winds will blow at 74 mph and the waves will reach a dangerous height. This is a case in which fatalities and injuries are most likely to occur, and this is the time when people need to be most alert.

There are a few other words that would help a person out as well. For instance, a tropical disturbance is word of thunderstorms moving in the tropics. Likewise, a tropical depression is an area of low pressure in which clouds are rotating in a circular manner, and 38 mph winds are reported.

One last term you would want to learn is that of the tropical storm. This storm is much like that of a hurricane, and a counterclockwise circulation of clouds with winds 39-73 mph characterizes it. If you can take all necessary precaution, including planning your escape before this point, you are advised to do so.

If you want to prepare even before a watch or warning, or you want to prepare for the following hurricane season you can take a variety of other precautions as well. One of the most common is to gather together emergency supplies that you would need in the event of an evacuation. These would include first aid kits, extra medications, and changes of clothes, important papers, and a flashlight.

You may also want to carry with you a small amount of food and water as well as any personal items needed. In addition, you will want to plan your exit route and have a map of your emergency shelter destination.

Ideally, if you are required to evacuate your immediate area you will want to do so as soon as you can. Therefore, you will want your emergency shelter location to be as close to you as possible, yet far enough away where that person or group is not in danger them selves. In fact, it may be beneficial for you to plan more than one emergency destination in case the first does not work out.

Additional hurricane preparedness tips and information can be found within articles such as this one. You will learn about a variety of ways to protect you, your whole family, and even your entire neighborhood. The more precaution you take the more lives will be saved.

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