FLORIDA EMERGENCY MANAGERS ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO MONITOR TROPICAL DEVELOPMENTS THIS WEEKEND

Division of Emergency Management (DEM) officials are encouraging Florida residents and visitors to closely monitor the progress of the current tropical system in the Caribbean Sea and to update their family disaster plans and supply kits. No official forecasts place Florida in the path of any tropical systems at this time, but favorable conditions for rapid tropical development and strengthening do exist in the region.

“Though none of the current tropical systems are a threat to Florida, they have the potential to organize and intensify quickly,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director David Halstead. “Our team will closely monitor the active tropical situation in the Caribbean Sea and take any necessary preparatory steps to protect Floridians. I strongly encourage everyone to follow this storm closely through the weekend and to take this opportunity to review and update their family and business disaster plans and supply kits.”

Based on historical trends, September is among the most active times in the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Florida already experienced a tropical impact in July, when Tropical Storm Bonnie made landfall in the Florida Keys and parts of South Florida. While no significant injuries or damage to infrastructure were reported as a result of that system, the storm should serve as a reminder that all Floridians should develop a disaster survival plan and maintain an emergency supply kit.

“As September ends, tropical systems are more likely to form and develop quickly in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in less preparation time for the Gulf States,” said Deputy State Meteorologist Michelle Palmer. “Floridians should remember the damage caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, a late-season system that after gaining Tropical Storm status in the Caribbean reached Category 5 Hurricane strength within 24 hours.”

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30. For more information on the Florida Division of Emergency Management and to GET A PLAN!, please visit: www.FloridaDisaster.org. Follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/flsertinfo or join our blog at: http://flsertinfo.blogspot.com/.