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Kids Home • You Gotta Have a Plan • Choose Your Emergency • Explore a Little More
Wherever you live in Virginia, you'll be able to feel the effects of a hurricane – so you need to be prepared. Know what to do to stay safe and help your family during hurricane or tropical storm.
A hurricane is a severe tropical storm that forms in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico or eastern Pacific Ocean. To form, hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture and light winds. They gather heat and energy from the warm waters, and evaporation from the seawater increases their power.
Hurricanes rotate in a counterclockwise direction around an "eye." They have winds at least 75 mph. When they come onto land, they can bring heavy rain, strong winds and floods, and can damage buildings, trees and cars. They also produce heavy waves called a storm surge. Storm surges are very dangerous and a major reason why you must stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning.
Know the lingoEye: The eye is the calm center of a hurricane. Don't be fooled if wind and rain stop during a hurricane. You may just be in the eye of the storm. Listen to the radio to find out when the storm has really passed.
Evacuate: You and your family may be asked to leave your home. If you are, do not go back until officials tell you it is safe to do so.
Floods: More people are killed by freshwater floods during a hurricane than by any other hazard. Never play in flooded areas!
Hurricane Watch: A hurricane is possible within 36 hours. Stay tuned to the radio and television for more information. The National Hurricane Center is tracking the storm and trying to predict where it might come ashore.
Hurricane Warning: A hurricane is expected within 24 hours. You may be told to evacuate. You and your family should begin preparations to evacuate. If your area is having an evacuation, remember to take your disaster supply kit, and do not forget to make plans for your pets.
Storm surge: Storm surge is a massive dome of water, often 50 miles wide, that sweeps across the coast near the area where the eye of the hurricane comes ashore. The stronger the hurricane the higher the storm surge. For those living along the coast, storm surge is one of the most dangerous hazards in a hurricane.
Tornado: What's tornado information doing on the hurricane page? Hurricanes often bring tornadoes with them. Continue to listen to your NOAA Weather Radio for tornado warnings and learn what to do.
What can you do?There's a lot you can do to help keep yourself and your family safe during a hurricane.
Listen to the radio: Get a NOAA Weather Radio and extra batteries for it, and be sure to listen to it during a hurricane or any emergency. The radio will tell you when you need to take shelter.
Disaster meeting place: Ask your family to decide on a meeting place in case you get separated during a disaster. Choose an out-of-town relative or friend who you can check in with to say you're OK.
Get the house ready: Help your parents get the house ready by picking up loose items in the yard, covering windows with 5/8 inch marine plywood, removing roof antennas and turning off utilities. (Check links at top right for more information.)
Disaster supply kit: Make sure your family has a disaster supply kit assembled and ready to use.
Pets: Do you have pets? If you do, you need to find a place for them to stay if you have to evacuate your home. Some places would be a friend or relative's house, a boarding kennel or vet hospital. Make sure this safe place is outside the evacuated area. If your family plans to stay in a public shelter, you will have to keep your pets somewhere else. Pets are not allowed in emergency shelters, expect service animals. You could also take shelter in a hotel, but make sure they accept pets before you evacuate.
A hurricane can be a scary thing! If you're scared or have questions, be sure to talk about it with a trusted adult.
Hurricane classificationHurricanes are classified into five categories, based on their wind speed and potential to cause damage:
Keep TrackDownload a hurricane tracking chart (703k PDF) from NOAA. When a hurricane forms, you can follow its course by listening to the news or checking NOAA's hurricane site and you can plot it on the chart.
You can also visit NOAA's COMET Create-a-cane and Aim a Hurricane pages to learn more about this powerful weather phenomenon.
