Miami – The governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, proclaimed September the month of disaster preparation, an initiative that seeks to strengthen the response capacity of residents to the peak of the hurricane season.
The measure responds to the forecasts of a cyclonic activity above the average and its objective is to mitigate the risks in the historically dangerous period of the year, which coincides with the midpoint of the Atlantic season.
The urgency of the state initiative is based on the updated weather projections of the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which anticipate a season above average.
The forecasts foresee the formation of between 13 and 18 storms with name, of which between five and nine could become hurricanes. Of these, it is expected that between two and five reach the category of major hurricane, that is, category 3 or higher.
These forecasts are based on key weather factors, such as oceanic temperatures higher than average in the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea, an active monsoon in western Africa and the absence of the phenomena of El Niño and the girl.
To this is added a reduction of the Sahara dust in August, which favors the development of tropical cyclones. “The preparation is more than a precaution; it is a responsibility,” said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Emergency Management Division (FDEM).
Preparation keys
To guide citizens, the FDEM outlined five fundamental pillars. Residents are urged to know their evacuation zone and the vulnerability of their home, as well as to develop a personalized plan that includes all family members, pets and people with special needs.
The agency also stressed the importance of having a supply kit for a minimum of seven days, maintaining vehicles with at least half a half of fuel and intelligent evacuating nearby and safe shelters, instead of traveling hundreds of miles.
To facilitate these preparations, the State implements permanent tax exemptions in essential articles for disasters, such as generators, batteries, canvases and extinguishers.
This measure is complemented by a budget investment of more than 1.24 billion dollars in state and federal funds for response and recovery, with 505 million assigned directly to the emergency management division for the 2025-2026 fiscal period.
Shelter deficit
Despite investments and awareness campaigns, Florida faces significant structural challenges. The State has an 824,866 space in public shelters, a gap that is aggravated with population growth and aging of the existing infrastructure.
Official reports reveal that ten counties, mainly in the north of the state, have “weak evacuation plans”, while thirteen counties lack adequate facilities to house pets.
The lessons of past seasons, such as the devastating impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, which left losses for more than 4.3 billion dollars and more than 380,000 claims only in Florida, put in context the urgency of closing this gap.
Although the State advances with technological innovations such as the NOAA HAFS prognosis system to better predict storm intensification, federal cuts to the National Meteorological Service generate concern about the quality of future forecasts.
