It’s that time of year again- hurricane season- a season that visits Floridians every year just as surely as the winter season does not. The 2018 season was a doozy, particularly for those residents in the Florida Panhandle, and the 2019 hurricane season could be almost or even equally as active.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that as many as 8 hurricanes may form in the Atlantic in 2019, a “near normal” season following two years of storms that have left a trail of death and destruction in the Caribbean and on U.S. coast.

Nine to 15 named storms are forecast during the six-month season that started June 1, 2019 NOAA said. Of those, 4 to 8 will become hurricanes and 2 to 4 will be major systems with winds of 111 miles (179 kilometers) per hour or more.

According to the Insurance Journal, the east coast of Florida is one of the most vulnerable areas to storm surge in the state and in the U.S. because of hurricanes coming off the Atlantic Ocean. CoreLogic’s 2019 Storm Surge Report says more than 2.9 million homes in the state are vulnerable to storm surge flooding.

Because of the above predictions and the possibility of storm surge flooding, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis launched an initiative in June designed to encourage Floridians to prepare before a hurricane.

The PrepareFL.com website serves as a one-stop-shop for disaster preparedness information and resources to help Floridians ensure they are prepared to weather the next storm, including:

• An Emergency Preparedness Toolkit designed to help residents prepare a home inventory and organize financial information before and after a disaster
• A Natural Disasters – Are You Prepared guide to inform consumers on insurance and financial preparation in the event of a natural disaster
• A guide to navigating the flood insurance claims process
• Information on the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) process and how it can impact a homeowner
• Tips on what to expect after filing a homeowners insurance claim related to a hurricane

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2019/06/12/528954.htm

As always, we at Joe Taylor Restoration hope that the 2019 hurricane season is the least active season Floridians have ever seen. However, if hurricanes do make landfall in any of our coverage areas, and you are faced with resulting water or mold damage, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be here, as always, to help with all your emergency restoration needs.