During hurricane season (June to November), Southern Maryland residents should take measures to plan and prepare.<\/p>\n
While hurricanes in Maryland are unusual, the state sometimes sustains damage\u2014and some fatalities\u2014from these powerful storms. Agnes in 1972, Floyd in 1999, Isabel in 2003, Ernesto in 2006, and Irene in 2011 are some of the storms that have caused significant damage in Maryland in recent history.<\/p>\n
Tropical storms frequently cause flooding, coastal storm surge, and wind damage and often spawn tornadoes and thunderstorms. Widespread power outages may result. Residents are urged to learn their vulnerabilities and take action to reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster.<\/p>\n
You should be able to answer the following questions before a hurricane threatens:<\/p>\n
For a list of steps to take before a storm arrives, visit our Outages page<\/a>\u00a0or watch our\u00a0video on outage preparation tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each hurricane hazard. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home but within your community. Listen to local announcements about evacuations in the event of an emergency and heed the warnings of local officials.<\/p>\n For additional information on hurricane preparedness, visit the\u00a0National Hurricane Center.<\/a><\/p>\n When a storm forms in the tropics\u2014and even before that stage\u2014forecasters at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center are in continuous monitoring mode, employing a dense network of satellites, land- and ocean-based sensors and aircraft reconnaissance missions operated by NOAA and its partners.<\/p>\n Tropical systems acquire a name\u2014beginning in 2016 with Alex\u2014upon reaching tropical storm strength with sustained winds of at least 39 mph. Tropical storms become hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph and become major hurricanes when winds reach 111 mph.<\/p>\n Much of the information above was provided by St. Mary\u2019s County Government \u2013 Emergency Management<\/p>\n Emergency Preparedness<\/a>\u00a0(tips from St. Mary\u2019s County Government)<\/p>\n