National Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2019

( printed page 20529) Proclamation 9876 of May 3, 2019 National Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2019 A Proclamation During National Hurricane Preparedness Week, I encourage all Americans living in hurricane-prone areas to take the measures necessary to safeguard their families, homes, and businesses. As a Nation, we are sadly too familiar with the destructive force of hurricanes. To help prevent and mitigate hurricane-related harm, it is critically important that we prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, which starts next month. This September marks the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, one of the strongest and most costly hurricanes to hit the United States from the Atlantic Ocean. That destructive storm devastated the Caribbean Islands of Guadeloupe, St. Croix, and Puerto Rico before making final landfall in South Carolina. The storm surge it generated also caused tremendous damage. Hugo's destructive storm surge serves as a reminder of how dangerous that aspect of a storm can be. Over the last three decades, more people have died from storm surges and inland flooding than from hurricane winds. More than 50 people died last year after Hurricane Florence shattered all-time rain and flood records in the Carolinas. To address this deadly hazard, the National Weather Service (NWS) recently implemented alerts for impending storm surges on the gulf and east coasts, where low-lying areas and coastal communities are especially vulnerable. Our ability to track hurricanes for more timely and reliable forecasts has vastly improved. Last year, Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane and the strongest storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle, destroyed neighborhoods, wrecked property, and altered countless lives. In the lead-up to Hurricane Michael, the NWS provided expert forecasting. In addition, the NWS has activated services to warn citizens of dangerous wind conditions when the eyewall of a hurricane is moving onshore. The Extreme Wind Warning signals when exceptional…