of Hurricane Season.

Sunday will mark 21 years since Hurricane Bob hit Rhode Island.  Bob was a Category 2 Hurricane which made landfall over Newport and caused approximately 680 million dollars in damage.

Of course, we can’t forget Irene, but Bob was the last hurricane to strike Rhode Island (Irene was a tropical storm at landfall).

We are now entering the busiest part of hurricane season.  These next sixty days, climatologically, are the busiest.  Check out this neat graph from the National Weather Service.  It shows where we are on the timeline (August 18th) and the peak of the season on September 10.  All of the major tropical systems which have affected Southeastern New England hit during the period August 18th to October 18th.  THIS is the time of the year when we should be the most alert. 

If you don’t have a disaster supply kit ready, why? Irene should have been a wake up call.  Flashlights, lots of fresh batteries (rechargeables may not work), extra water, food, cash, medicines, baby needs, generators, extra gasoline, radio, etc.

We can’t stress it enough.  Hurricanes DO hit Rhode Island.  Just be prepared for it.

-T.J. Del Santo